Pathway to Japanese Literature

Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.

NarcissusAuthor: Dazai Osamu

Original Title	水仙
Author	太宰治
Genre	Modern Short Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	A young woman’s life unravels amid whispers of genius. Once a carefree bride from a fallen family, Sizuko Kusata drifts into icy detachment after her kin’s ruin. To console her, her husband—a refined banker—encourages her painting, surrounding her with sycophants who crown her a prodigy. Flattery warps into delusion: she flees home, declaring herself an artist, only to drown in cheap liquor and hollow praise. The narrator, a struggling writer nursing old humiliations from her household, watches her descent with bitter detachment—until a desperate letter reveals her deafness, despair, and shredded paintings. Drawn into her tragedy, he destroys her final work, a haunting watercolor of narcissus, sealing her fate. Parallels emerge to a fable of Lord Chūnao, a swordsman driven mad by doubts of his own skill. Is Sizuko a martyr to others’ lies or a genuine talent crushed by society’s cruelty? The question lingers, blurring lines between delusion and brilliance, leaving the narrator—and reader—to grapple with the cost of believing one’s myth.