Geisha
by Liza Dalby
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Book Summary Information
Author: Liza DalbyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-10-01
ISBN: 0520204956
Number of pages: 367
Publisher: University of California Press
Book Reviews of Geisha
Book Review: Couldn't be better
Summary: 5 Stars
Written by anthropologist Dalby, who has the distinction of being the only Westerner to become a geisha, this book deftly synthesizes the personal experiences and interactions of the author in this most unusual role and society with the discerning eye of a scholar. Her attention to detail is superb and provides interesting tidbits of cultural trivia for the reader. The stories she tells -- about the backgrounds of her geisha friends, the mothers of the community and other figures in the hanamachi (geisha district) of Pontocho as well as geisha communities of different stripes elsewhere in Japan -- let the reader in on a very personal part of the geisha world that no other author in my opinion has truly touched, or could, really. Dalby was singularly qualified for the role as a geisha, as she could speak Japanese, play the shamisen and had the appropriate connections, and as a geisha herself (versus an interviewer who would always be external in some way), more doors were opened to her, through both internal connections (her relationship with the Pontocho mothers and her onesan) and the trust that these enigmatic women were willing to put in one of their kind.
Dalby's ability to story-tell also lends a quality of magic to the analysis. Even simple stories about floating paper lanterns on the Kamo River or stopping with the three geisha mothers to watch an old-style candymaker draw the reader in with their unselfconscious charm and personal allure. Without this sort of skill, even an intelligent analysis of the subject could be very dull, but her ability to shape the smaller stories within the overall experience make for more intimate and memorable peeks into her life as a geisha, rather than a "just the facts, ma'am" approach.
I have read some reviews juxtaposing this work with other more recent books on the subject of geisha, and one of the complaints other readers seem to have about this book is that it is somewhat out of date. True, it was originally written in the 1970s, after Dalby had completed her time in the geisha world. To me this indicates that this book was one of the first to address this subject in an objective manner and didn't just jump on the "Memoirs of a Geisha" bandwagon. In my opinion it is the definitive book on the subject, and given its unique perspective it is all the more valuable. If a reader read this book and no others on the subject, he or she would still be well informed about the geisha world, as well as entranced by its mystery, made somewhat less elusive by Liza Dalby's sensitive tour of the inner corridors of the hanamachi of Kyoto.
Summary of Geisha
In this classic best-seller, Liza Dalby, the only non-Japanese ever to have trained as a geisha, offers an insider's look at the exclusive world of female companions to the Japanese male elite. Her new preface considers the geisha today as a vestige of tradition as Japan heads into the 21st century.In the mid-1970s, an American graduate student in anthropology joined the ranks of white-powdered geisha in Kyoto, Japan. Liza Dalby took the name Ichigiku and apprenticed in the famed Pontocho district, trailing behind "older sisters" bemused by this long-legged Westerner intent on learning their arts and customs. In Geisha, this observant ethnographer paints an intoxicating picture of the "flower and willow world" to which she gained entry. "Why are you studying geisha?" asks one slightly belligerent older sister. "Geisha are no different from anybody else." Not quite, says Dalby dryly, pointing out that geisha and wives play utterly divergent, though complementary, roles in traditional Japanese society. "Geisha are supposed to be sexy where wives are sober, artistic where wives are humdrum, and witty where wives are serious." While hardly feminists, they reap freedoms unknown to other women. Dalby illustrates broader cultural differences, too, with a million tiny details about boisterous customers, how many hundred-weight of tabi (split-toed socks) geishas go through, what defines iki (chic), why maiko (young apprentices) are drawn to the life, and what geisha wear, from the skin out. Acknowledging that her growing personal stake in the masquerade prevented objectivity, Dalby frees the reader to enjoy a fluid and fascinating look at one aspect of Japanese culture. --Francesca Coltrera
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