Geisha are shrouded in mystery and seduction. Those of us who are fascinated with Geisha wonder who the women beneath the white face paint and extravagant kimono really are, but very few know the truth of what it is like to be involved in “the flower and willow world” that is the Geisha’s place of work, study and life. With the popularity of Arthur Golden’s book Memoirs of a Geisha and its subsequent blockbuster film the popularity of Geisha has only increased and sparked renewed interest in Japan’s most sensual icons.
If you are one of the many who enjoyed the Memoirs film or book, have an interest in Geisha, or just want to find out more about them, you will definitely want to check out at least one of the four books reviewed below. They are very different books dealing with the same subject. I recommend using this book review to choose the book you would find most engaging on the subject of Geisha, or to read all four of these books to gain a very complete picture of what life is and has been like for those women employed in one of the most mysterious and misunderstood professions of all time.
Memoirs of a Geishaby Arthur Golden
This powerful novel was a huge factor in spurring the current Geisha craze. The writing is enchanting and deeply honest, so well told and believable that I did not even realize it was fiction until someone pointed it out to me. Arthur Golden interviewed famous Geisha and thoroughly researched their culture to write this novel about a young girl named Sayuri who must leave her family to live at a Geisha house. Sayuri tells the story of growing up there and becoming a Geisha, falling in love, surviving World War II, and retiring. The devious Hatsumomo and wayward Pumpkin are memorable characters that also serve as metaphors of the Geisha sub-types there are within the profession. However, readers are advised to keep in mind that this is fiction and is not a strictly accurate portrayal of Geisha life. Though Arthur Golden gives us more insight into their world than perhaps any other novelist has, he still perpetuates certain misconceptions and stereotypes.
Geisha, a Life (UK title: Geisha of Gion) by Mineko Iwasaki
This is the autobiography of the most famous Geisha in the second half of the twentieth century. Mineko Iwasaki was a veritable celebrity in her native Japan and Arthur Golden relied heavily on interviews with her to write his famous Memoirs of a Geisha. Because of that, this is an important read if you want a more truthful account of Geisha life. Mineko Iwasaki broke the Geisha code of secrecy by writing this book, but she felt duty-bound to do so after the success of Memoirs of a Geisha perpetuated false information about Geisha and herself. This non-fiction account of her life gives insight into what it was like to be a famous during the last few years that being a Geisha entailed the same job description as it had in the past. The changing demands of the twentieth century leave Mineko Iwasaki unsure of whether Geisha will be able to survive into the future.
Autobiography of a Geishaby Sayo Masuda
This first-person account of the writer’s life as a hot springs resort Geisha is the most difficult to read book on the list. While Geisha, a Life deals with the comparatively privileged and even enviable life of a woman devoted to art and beauty, Autobiography of a Geisha tells a dark story of a woman sold as a child to a Geisha house and raised to be more like a prostitute than an artist. Her childhood as a slave to her house is dreadful, her young adult life as a full Geisha and then mistress little better. Masuda’s account of her struggles through World War II are truly heartbreaking. Still, there is some romance, some happiness, and always a lot of spirit from the author. Many elements from Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha are noticeable here. I have my suspicions that he combined the gritty reality here with the elegance of Mineko Iwasaki’s life to write his novel.
Liza Dalby holds a special place in the history of Geisha-she is the only foreigner to ever become one. This book is partly her story, partly history, partly modern status of Geisha. In many ways it reads like a text book, but is a bit more engaging as she uses anecdotes and has an easy writing style. If you are looking for an accurate history of Geisha, want to find out what it is like to be a Geisha today, how that profession and those that surround it have changed over time, then this book is highly recommended. It is thoroughly researched and, although it does use many anecdotes to help move it along, relies more on graphs and historical information than stories. The book can also be read in any order so it is an ideal reference tool. It is truly a wealth of information on Geisha.
Whichever book (or books) you choose to read, you should have no trouble finding them. GoogleBooks has previews of all except Liza Dalby’s book, all are available from online booksellers, and I got every book on this list from my local library. Hopefully these books will illuminate your perception of one of the most idealized, misrepresented, and misunderstood groups of women ever to capture our fascination and our imaginations.
