Geisha The secret history of a vanishing world
by:
Lesley Downer (author)
Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, we have been intrigued by geisha. This fascination has spawned a wealth of fictional creations from Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha". The reality of the geisha's existence has rarely been described. Contrary to popular opinion,...
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Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, we have been intrigued by geisha. This fascination has spawned a wealth of fictional creations from Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha". The reality of the geisha's existence has rarely been described. Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but literally "arts people". Their accomplishments might include singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument but, above all, they are masters of the art of conversation, soothing worries of highly paid businessmen who can afford their attentions. The real secret history of the geisha is explored here.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780747264262 (0747264260)
Publish date: 2001
Publisher: Headline
Pages no: 420
Edition language: English
Category:
Non Fiction,
Biography,
History,
Literature,
Cultural,
Culture,
Asian Literature,
Asia,
Sexuality,
Anthropology,
Japan,
Womens
Downer begins with the story of her embarkation on the quest to write this book, unashamedly and amusingly confessing her own mistakes and misconceptions when trying to access the geisha world, understandably well defended by every subtle barrier of etiquette against the exotifying and fetishising t...
Inizierò col dire che il libro è stato "tirato" un po' troppo dall'autrice, soprattutto nella seconda parte che ho trovato abbastanza ripetitiva. In ogni caso m'è piaciuto, soprattutto per il fatto che l'autrice stessa si sia fatta strada in questo mondo così affascinante per avere la possibilità di...
Great - basically it confirms what A. Golden wrote in "The Memoirs of a Geisha", but it gives a deeper historical perspective, and a personal touch. The most interesting part for me was about the roles and fates of women in traditional Japan.
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