Book 2: 1999: Memoirs of a Geisha

Book 2: Memoirs of a Geisha

Author : Arthur Golden

Genre:  Historical Fiction Novel

Tone: Autobiographical

Published: 1997

Why I chose this book: The best seller list on Amazon for 1999 is interesting.  The first three books on its list were from the Harry Potter Series !It definitely gave me perspective ; about my age and his!

I must say I could not encourage myself to review a character that millions of people across the world acknowledge and love, he needs no review to be picked up, what grabbed my attention instead was this book about a geisha. My first encounter with Japanese culture was a Doordarshan Series called 'Oshin' . As a child, I did not comprehend a thing in that series but I was captivated by the pure richness of that culture. The silk kimonos, the pagodas, the cherry blossoms, the fluttering fans, the nimble feet attracted my curiosity and I saw them with unfettering devotion. This book cover reminded me of that series and I picked it up to fulfill a longing hidden somewhere at the back of mind: I definitely need to visit Japan once!

 A Geisha is an interesting personality. By definition they are female entertainers who are trained in the arts, music and dance from a tender age. By nature they are trained to entertain 'men'. Whether its the revered 'tea ceremony' or a ballad, the attention is diverted towards the men and that in turn is their source of sustenance. I was curious to know more.

My Take:

Memoirs of Geisha is an account of the life of a geisha told in first person by the protagonist. It follows the life of young Chiyo 'clutched' from her ailing and poverty stricken parent only to be sold to an 'Okiya' in 'Kyoto'. Set in 1929, the novel follows Chiyo's as well as Japan's path during the World War.  Once sold to an Okiya , she has only two choices: either face the drudgery of a maid or become a successful geisha and rid herself of the debts to her 'Okiya'.  The books follows her journey as a stricken ten year old  to her rise as a geisha, her romantic endeavours , her one true love and her ultimate flight to America. What struck me as odd, was that the story was written by an American and that too a male. However authentic his resources were, it must have been a herculean task to convey the culture, the emotions and the righteousness of a woman in a seemingly unjustifiable role .The author  uses clever and rich imagery. He definitely paints a picture of Japan  in the minds of the reader, so much so that I could almost smell the sea and feel the wind, but somewhere in the course of the tantalizing tale, I lost track. Geisha's are said to be respected,  the book did  make them look like glorified concubines. At a certain point Chiyo's 'encounters' with men are so overwhelming, I merely scanned through the  text to just get the context. At some point , the feminist in me wanted to hold her by her shoulders and give her a little shake and say ' Its just a man!'. But then, that was 1929. Her circumstances were different.   At hindsight, I do not think its a story about a geisha, but rather a story of an impoverished girls' fight against adversity.

This is 2020. Are the circumstances any different?

 A beautiful line from the book:

Adversity is like a strong wind. I don’t mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.