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, however, rarely been described. Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but, literally, 'arts people'. Their accomplishments might include singing or dancing but, above all, they are masters of the art of conversation, soothing the worries of the highly paid businessmen who can afford their attentions. The real secret history of the geisha is for the first time fully and brilliantly explored here by an award-winning writer.
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Review
'...the accretion of detail in Downer's book gives it the edge on Arthur Golden's Memoirs Of A Geisha' -- Independent
'Lesley Downer... has succeeded in penetrating this intensely secret and rapidly vanishing world and describing it brilliantly' -- Sunday Telegraph
'intriguing, well structured....richly rewarding study' -- Observer
'Lesley Downer... has succeeded in penetrating this intensely secret and rapidly vanishing world and describing it brilliantly' -- Sunday Telegraph
'intriguing, well structured....richly rewarding study' -- Observer
From the Publisher
The only book on geisha you will ever need to read.
Lesley Downer's book on geisha is a compelling and fascinating read, which combines extraordinary historical detail (eg, that the first geisha were male and that male geisha still exist in Japan today) with pitch-perfect narrative about the reality of geisha in contemporary Kyoto and Tokyo. I know that as the book's editor you might not believe me, but Simon Winchester, author of the brilliant and bestselling Surgeon of Crowthorne, calls it 'exquisite... Geisha deserves to become a classic'. It has also had rave reviews in everything from the Literary Review to the Big Issue. So if you enjoyed Arthur Golden, you'll love this even more, particularly because it's real. Enjoy. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Lesley Downer's book on geisha is a compelling and fascinating read, which combines extraordinary historical detail (eg, that the first geisha were male and that male geisha still exist in Japan today) with pitch-perfect narrative about the reality of geisha in contemporary Kyoto and Tokyo. I know that as the book's editor you might not believe me, but Simon Winchester, author of the brilliant and bestselling Surgeon of Crowthorne, calls it 'exquisite... Geisha deserves to become a classic'. It has also had rave reviews in everything from the Literary Review to the Big Issue. So if you enjoyed Arthur Golden, you'll love this even more, particularly because it's real. Enjoy. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this book while travelling on a European holiday.
It examines many aspects of the geisha world, both past and present. There are discourses covering the development of the geisha from their roots as courtesans and artistes several centuries ago, through to their heyday in the mid 19th to mid 20th century as the players of games to the politicians and company chairmen, right up to their present declining and redefining state at the turn of the new century. Lesley Downer also covers famous geisha and their tales, the diverse geisha communities both old and new, Japanese sexual attitudes, the role of the wife versus (or complementary to) the geisha, how Western influences changed geishas, how the West misrepresented them, the traditional development and training of a maid girl to maiko to geisha, the traditions that evolved including those of the 'danna' - a keeper of a geisha - and 'mizuage' - maiko deflowering for which vast sums of money could change hands, descriptions of geisha paraphernalia (wigs, fans, kimonos, makeup) and descriptions of visits to current geisha and so-called geisha areas. On the whole, it makes for an enlightening read with good photographic plates. The tone of the book is quite passive, leaving the reader to make their own judgements.
A worthy examination of the geisha culture and a good introduction - I am now interested enough to know more.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Interest in the lives of geisha probably started with the publication of Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha. Since then many similar books have been released but this is by far the best in the non-fiction genre. Lesley Downer studied geisha first hand by gaining their confidence and trust and then being able to enter what has always been a very secret world. She writes a history of the geisha and also looks at how their way of life in Japan is dying out due to Westernisation. The lives of geisha are hard and the study to become one requires much discipline. I found her book fascinating and it gave me a wonderful insight into a culture often misunderstood by those of us in the west. I have gained tremendous respect for the women who become geisha.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Lesley Downer has written an instant classic on the world of the geisha. Downer's thoroughly researched work is a masterful blend of the autobiographical novel, history, social analysis and sheer entertainment. This is a book to be savoured and appreciated by academics and the general reading public alike. I work and live in Kyoto, a city where I have spent a total of eleven years teaching in various universities. More to the point, I live in an apartment building in Gion, the heart of Kyoto's geisha district--a building where geisha and maiko (trainee geisha) live. When, like only this evening, I come across one of these mysterious creatures as they leave the building to get into a waiting taxi and head off to a local tea house to delight some lucky clients with their beauty and artistry, I feel elated because there is something magical about a geisha's appearence. Such a chance encounter, I may add, is an event that 99% of the Japanese population will never experience. Now, thanks to Lesley Downer's wonderful book, I, the native inhabitants of this land (this work, I am sure, will be translated into Japanese very soon), and readers all around the world can view and admire a very detailed picture which shows us where geisha originate, what place they occupy in contemporary Japanese society, and where their collective destiny may take them as Japan enters an uncertain economic future and an era of rapid social change.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating
This is a very good overview of geisha and courtesans, I learned a lot while reading it. Along with Geisha by Liza Dalby, this is one of the better books on the subject.
Published 5 months ago by Angela
5.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't put it down!
I've been interested in Geisha for a long time and i own quite a few books on them including Downers biography of Sadayakko which i thought was great. Read more
Published 16 months ago by ThatBoyLuke
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very absorbing read.
This is one of the best non-fiction books I've read in recent years. Occasionally the forays into the history of the Geisha tradition can be a little dry, given that they must... Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2011 by Helena Scullion
4.0 out of 5 stars
`In order to retain its distinctive character, the geisha world had to...
In this book, Ms Downer has sought to provide a view of the geisha world for an interested western audience. Read more
Published on 2 Aug 2010 by J. Cameron-Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Geisha. The Secret History of a Vanishing World"
This Book is an excellent and fascinating insight into the world normally closed to outsiders of the Geisha and Maiko community in Japan.
Published on 2 Mar 2010 by SilverBack
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous insight into the history of Geisha.
Having read Memoirs of A Geisha and then the autobiographies of an onsen geisha and a Kyoto geiko, I was finding myself struggling to understand the rites and rituals of these... Read more
Published on 24 May 2009 by A. Thorn
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Geisha History
Our fascination with Japanese culture is tied in with the sense of beauty and perfection that permeates many aspects of Japanese life and which is personified by the Geisha, a... Read more
Published on 2 April 2009 by b
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great introduction to a vanishing world!
Very interesting and highly readable. It contains facts about geishas as well as their origins and the long history up to the late 20th century. Read more
Published on 15 May 2005 by Mr. Ruairi McGovern
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great - what else is there to say?
Lesley Downer's book on geisha is, quite honestly, one of the best out there. Whereas Liza Dalby has been incorrectly referred to as the only non-Japanese woman to be a geisha (see... Read more
Published on 14 April 2003 by Trevelyan
4.0 out of 5 stars
An engrossing read
My interest in Geisha developed whilst reading Arthur Golden's 'Memoirs of a Geisha' whilst on holiday. 'Geisha' by Leslie Downer has compounded this interest. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2001
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