913. Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden
1997
Around 450 pages

Even the non Western novels on this List are secretly Western, as this was an intimate portrait of a Japanese Geisha, written by a white American guy. Oh well, I still enjoyed it, and for whatever reason this has stuck with me ever since I first read it.

This is the story of Nitta Sayuri, who is sold by her father to a geisha house in 1929. I haven't seen the film version, although I am unsurprised that Steven Spielberg produced it, he always seems to be butting his head in. You can tell Golden really did his research (likely to the detriment of his interviewees; see below), and you really get a sense of the day to day life of a geisha. 

Well, Golden's prose saves this novel from rotting in literary hell for being such a Western romanticization of the Japanese culture. And in that way, the story really fits the theme; it seduces you into forgetting the ugly realities of the moment. I thought Chiyo/Sayuri was a strong character who it was impossible not to fall in love with, and she made me glad that the story had a somewhat sappy ending.

Maybe not an essential novel, but I still had a blast reading it.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Adapted to film in 2005.

Golden was sued for defamation of character by Mineko Iwasaki, who told him about her life as a geisha.

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