From Our Editors
Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. Sayuri's story begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. Through her eyes, we see the decadent heart of Gion - the geisha district of Kyoto - with its marvelous teahouses and theaters, narrow back alleys, ornate temples, and artists' streets. And we witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup and hair; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. But as World War II erupts and the geisha houses are forced to close, Sayuri, with little money and even less food, must reinvent herself all over again to find a rare kind of freedom on her own terms. Memoirs of a Geisha is a book of nuance and vivid metaphor, of memorable characters rendered with humor and pathos. And though the story is rich with detail and a vast knowledge of history, it is the transparent, seductive voice of Sayuri that the reader remembers
From the Publisher
An alluring tour de force: a brilliant debut novel told with
seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism as the true
confessions of one of Japan''s most celebrated
geisha.
Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once
haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of
her life as a geisha. In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world
where appearances are paramount; where a girl''s virginity is
auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile
the most powerful men; and where love, always elusive, is scorned
as illusion.
Sayuri''s story begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as
a nine-year-old with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her
home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. Through her
eyes, we see the decadent heart of Gion--the geisha district of
Kyoto--with its marvelous teahouses and theaters, narrow back
alleys, ornate temples, and artists'' streets. And we witness her
transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance
and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup and hair; pouring sake
to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous
rival for men''s solicitude and the money that goes with it. But as
World War II erupts and the geisha houses are forced to close,
Sayuri, with little money and even less food, must reinvent herself
all over again to find a rare kind of freedom on her own
terms.
Memoirs of a Geisha is a book of nuances and vivid metaphor, of
memorable characters rendered with humor and pathos. And though the
story is rich with detail and a vast knowledge of history, it is
the transparent, seductive voice of Sayuri that the reader
remembers.
A dazzling literary achievement of empathy and grace by an
extraordinary new writer.
From the Jacket
An alluring tour de force: a brilliant debut novel told with
seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism as the true
confessions of one of Japan''s most celebrated geisha.
Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once
haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of
her life as a geisha. In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world
where appearances are paramount; where a girl''s virginity is
auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile
the most powerful men; and where love, always elusive, is scorned
as illusion.
Sayuri''s story begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as
a nine-year-old with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her
home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. Through her
eyes, we see the decadent heart of Gion--the geisha district of
Kyoto--with its marvelous teahouses and theaters, narrow back
alleys, ornate temples, and artists'' streets. And we witness her
transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance
and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup and hair; pouring sake
to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous
rival for men''s solicitude and the money that goes with it. But as
World War II erupts and the geisha houses are forced to close,
Sayuri, with little money and even less food, must reinvent herself
all over again to find a rare kind of freedom on her own terms.
Memoirs of a Geisha is a book of nuances and vivid metaphor, of
memorable characters rendered with humor and pathos. And though the
story is rich with detail and a vast knowledge of history, it is
the transparent, seductive voice of Sayuri that the reader
remembers.
Adazzling literary achievement of empathy and grace by an
extraordinary new writer.
About the Author
Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer at Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.
Hardcover
448 Pages, 6.41 x 9.5 x 1.44 IN
September 23, 1997
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
0375400117
9780375400117