Kazuo Dan (1912–1976) was a Japanese novelist and poet. While studying at Tokyo Imperial University, he became a student of the writer Haruo Sato and co-founded the literary magazine "Aoi Hana" with Osamu Dazai and others before becoming associated with the Japanese Romantic School. After World War II, he returned to literary prominence with "Ritsuko: Sono Ai" and "Ritsuko: Sono Shi," and in 1951 received the Naoki Prize for "Shinsetsu Ishikawa Goemon" and "Chōgonka." His major novel, "Kataku no Hito," is an autobiographical work written over roughly two decades, following a novelist who leaves his wife and children behind as he pursues relationships with other women and wanders from place to place. Drawing closely on Dan’s own life, the novel portrays a man torn between his attachment to his family and his urge to escape it through love affairs, drinking, and travel.