Memoirs of a Geisha

[Maciamo]

Let me introduce this great book to those of you who don't know it yet. Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden, is a must-read for anyone with an interest in traditional Japan or, of course, geishas.

Here is my personal review I posted on Amazon.co.uk (and that was, to my stupefaction, selected as the first out of 161 reviews so far) :


When I first started to read Memoirs of a Geisha, I had forgotten to read on the back of the cover that this was a fiction and not a true story. I only came to realise it after having read 100 pages. The story is so deep in feelings and feel so much as if you were in Chiyo/Sayuri's mind that I was wondering how one can remember things with such an intensity. The book is beautifully written and though I usually don't read fictions, I couldn't help but turn pages after pages in the suspense of the following events.

At times, I remember having been moved so deeply that it influenced my social behaviour in the real life - until I finished the book ! Maybe because I am living in Japan and am married to a Japanese. I have been shocked by the accuracy with which is rendered the meanest traits of the Japanese mentality. Arthur Golden portraits the psychology of a very sensitive world, where the greed, passions and suffering can destroy the humanity inside us, or at contrary show how nearly lost hopes can make one survive the hardships of life.

But don't be fooled if you think you'll find such a world for real in present day Japan; it has all but vanished, like most of the traditional Japanese culture. I have recently bought a Japanese translation of the book for my wife who, like most people nowadays, know very little about Geishas. But it is not so much for the historical background as for the griping, deeply emotional story that I recommend it.