Memoirs of a Geisha

Welcome again Friends,

This time I have been reading a book “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden. I wonder if you have read it yet. And it is simply captivating. “A story with the social vibrancy and exquisite lyricism, set in the alluring setting of pre second world war Japan. . . . This is a high-wire act. . . . Rarely has a world so closed and foreign been evoked with such natural assurance. "

This novel is about the fictional true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha(Geisha are entertainers, their purpose being to entertain their customer, be it by reciting verse, playing musical instruments, or engaging in light conversation). Chiyo, a young girl, daughter of a poor fisherman, gifted with a pair of extraordinary beautiful eyes is taken to faraway Kyoto and sold to slavery to a renowned Geisha house, as it is great depression and her father can no longer afford to bring her up. there at the geisha house after being sold, she is renamed as Sayuri. Initially reluctant, Sayuri must finally invent and cultivate an image of herself as a desirable geisha in order to survive in Gion's cruel hierarchy. Through her eyes, we are given a backstage view of the ancient and secretive geisha district, Gion, and of the lives of the women who learn and practice the rigorous arts of the geisha. Behind its facade of haunting beauty the district turns out to be a viciously competitive place where women vie desperately for men's favor and largess, where a young girl's virginity is auctioned off to the highest bidder, where personal trust is almost nonexistent, and where no woman can afford even to dream about love or happiness. A timeless pocket of the world, Gion cannot remain cut off from the bustle of the modern era forever. When Japan enters the Second World War, Gion's isolation is finally breached and Sayuri must once again reinvent herself and her way of existence.

Memoirs of a Geisha is a treasure of a book, an unparalleled look at a strange and mysterious world which has now almost vanished. It is also, and unforgettably, a dazzling portrait of a singular and most seductive woman who tells her story in a compelling first person voice. 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.

In this novel, Arthur Golden has done a very daring thing: he, an American man, has written in the voice of a Japanese woman. And has succeeded in it.

And in the end, it seems to send a message that is applicable not only to Nitta Sayuri, but to all of us. The message is: “our world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean. Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like a watery ink on a paper”.

So Friends, go ahead and read it if you haven’t as of yet. For, it is truly breath taking and captivating, taking you to a different WORLD which no longer exists.