Geisha

(Paperback)

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Description

In this insightful and revealing classic bestseller, American anthropologist Liza Dalby recounts her experiences living as a geisha in Kyoto - a must-read for anyone fascinated by Japanese culture. Liza Dalby, author of The Tale of Murasaki, is the only non-Japanese woman ever to have become a geisha. This is her unique insight into the extraordinary, closed world of the geisha, a world of grace, beauty and tradition that has long fascinated and enthralled the West. Taking us to the heart of a way of life normally hidden from the public gaze, Liza Dalby shows us the detailed reality that lies behind the bestselling Memoirs of a Geisha and opens our eyes to an ancient profession that continues to survive in today's modern Japan.

Reviews

Liza Dalby, as the only foreigner to ever have become an actual geisha, knows more about the subject than I'll ever know, and she writes about it with grace and eloquence -- Arthur Golden, author of 'Memoirs of a Geisha'
A loving, beautifully designed tribute to one of Japan's most tantalising traditions... Geisha offers intriguing glimpses into Japanese politics, culture and history * Newsweek *
The authoritative work on the geisha. It is filled with facts and history, shot through with insights and understanding. Her working as a geisha, her experiencing their world, is responsible for the breadth of her understanding * New York Times Book Review *
Elegantly balanced...beautifully constructed...invigorating and refreshing * Washington Post Book World *
A meticulously researched work of scholarship, but is also a delightfully personal account of Dalby's year among the geisha. Geisha remains [Dalby's] best-known work and is the bible of geisha studies to this day * Times Literary Supplement *

Author Bio

Liza Dalby is an anthropologist specialising in Japanese culture and the only Westerner to have become a geisha. She is the author of The Tale of Murasaki, Geisha and consulted on Steven Spielberg's film of Memoirs of a Geisha. She lives in California with her husband and three children.