Autobiography of a Geisha - Softcover

Masuda, Sayo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0231129513 ISBN 13: 9780231129510

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2005

Synopsis

Autobiography of a Geisha Sayo Masuda was a geisha at a hot springs resort, where the realities of sex for sale are unadorned by the trappings of wealth and power. Remarkable for its wit and frankness, the book is a moving record of a woman's survival on the margins of Japanese society -- in the words of the translator, "the superbly told tale of a woman whom fortune never favored yet never defeated."

About this title

Product Description:

Sayo Masuda was a geisha at a hot springs resort, where the realities of sex for sale are unadorned by the trappings of wealth and power. Remarkable for its wit and frankness, the book is a moving record of a woman's survival on the margins of Japanese society -- in the words of the translator, "the superbly told tale of a woman whom fortune never favored yet never defeated."

Review:

[Masuda's] endurance of adversity is admirable, as is the down-to-earth way in which she relates her story. She is witty, realistic, and forthright about her life, and readers will admire her courage and determination.--Marlene Y. Satter "Foreword Magazine "

As I read this autobiography I cried for the women who live their lives as geishas...Thank you, Sayo Masuda, for revealing your life to us.--Judy Helman "Woman's Day "

Her story is heartbreaking, but her indomitable spirit prevents it from becoming maudlin.--Elizabeth Quinn "Bust "

This account shocked Japanese readers with its bitter taste of grinding poverty and its revelations about the geisha world's dark side. A comfortless portrait of the flip side of the geisha world, where one is more slave than courtesan.--Kirkus Reviews

At once intriguing and heartbreaking.--Publishers Weekly

Courageously, Masuda refuses to put white makeup on the unsightly aspects of her tale, inviting readers to take a long, hard look at the unadulterated face of geisha living.--Los Angeles Times Book Review

Originally published in Japan in the 1950's, Autobiography of a Geisha is a remarkably fresh and personal account of a life that is a far cry not only from the Eastern exoticism of [John Ball's Miss One Hundred Thousand Spring Blossoms], but also from the upscale and at least sometimes glamorous lives depicted in [Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha.--Persimmon

Since the publication of Arthur Golden's bestselling novelMemoirs of a Geisha, there has been a spate of books that an unkind reviewer might label 'follow-ons'... While all of these speak to a greater or lesser extent of the hardships and occasional cruelties of the geisha's life, none provides as raw and unvarnished account as Sayo Masuda'sAutobiography.--Monumenta Nipponica

Masuda's memoir is a must-read for those interested in the lives of geishas.--Booklist

A much-needed corrective to the romantic myths spun around this profession... Superbly preserved and sensitively rendered... [Masuda's] gripping, heart-rending and humorous account is a gem, especially as it offers a view 'from below' of the untold social history of modern Japan.--Times Literary Supplement

About this edition

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0231129513
• ISBN 13: 9780231129510
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 214