Geisha, a Life

I find that when one wants to understand another culture different than ones' own it is necessary to grasp the elements and the diversity that helped shape the culture and the people.
Being this the case, I picked up a book entitled Geisha, a Life. This book is a memoir of one of the most well-known Geishas of Japan, Mineko Iwasaki. Before I go on, it must be said first that I have read Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. This book, Geisha a Life, was highly engrossing, I devoured it in a mere couple of days, and it was also revealing. In it one enters the karyukai, "the flower and willow world" and I was able to catch a glimpse of a rich and intricate culture that is a vital element to Japanese culture in its entirety. What is great about this book is that it doesn't emphasize the romanticized view the western world has on this very little known world, the karyukai, but it gives the reader a thorough, outlined explanation of the intricacies of this world and its history. One is able to get a little of everything: history, reality and even a bit of romance and we see all this through the eyes and experiences of Mineko Iwasaki, a real Geisha who retired at the age of 29. This book felt real, it was concise and poetic in all the right places and enlightening all on it own. Highly recommended.
To elaborate a bit more, I read this book as preparation before delving into the classic, The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, which I will be tackling in a few weeks. As part of preparation I also purchased a great little anthology on Japanese literature compiled and edited by Donald Keene, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in such a rich and culture.

Iwasaki, Mineko. Geisha, A Life. Trans. Rande Browne. New York: Washington Square Press, 2003. Print.
296 pages