Memoirs of a Geisha (Signed by Arthur Golden & Ziyi Zhang)

Arthur Golden

ISBN 10: 0375400117 / ISBN 13: 9780375400117

Published by NY: Knopf, 1997

About this Item

First Edition of the acclaimed bestseller, basis for the multi-Academy Award-winning film starring Ziyi Zhang as the geisha. This fine copy in fine dust jacket is signed on the title page by the author, Arthur Golden, as well as by Ziyi Zhang who has also penned the date (2006 . 1-15). Seller Inventory # 00107

Bibliographic Details

Title: Memoirs of a Geisha (Signed by Arthur Golden...

Publisher: NY: Knopf

Publication Date: 1997

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

An alluring tour de force: a brilliant debut novel told with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism as the true confessions of one of Japan where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love, always elusive, is scorned as illusion.s story begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. Through her eyes, we see the decadent heart of Gion--the geisha district of Kyoto--with its marvelous teahouses and theaters, narrow back alleys, ornate temples, and artists wearing kimono, elaborate makeup and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men&s solicitude and the money that goes with it. But as World War II erupts and the geisha houses are forced to close, Sayuri, with little money and even less food, must reinvent herself all over again to find a rare kind of freedom on her own terms.Memoirs of a Geisha is 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. A dazzling literary achievement of empathy and grace by an extraordinary new writer.

About the Author:

Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer at Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.