Liza Dalby, and American Anthropologist researches Geisha culture of 1980's Kyoto. Honestly, she had her hooks in me after I read her fictionalized memoir of historical figure Lady Murasaki.

While Dalby's work did age a bit awkwardly (it WAS the 80s) she does a fantastic job weaving both cultural observation and narrative into one cohesive structure. I learned a lot about both Geisha and the Japanese history surrounding this practice.

Idk if I was expecting more intrigue, drama and glamour from what's basically a PhD thesis, but this was just kind of dull and factual for the most part. Well-written, but you can tell its roots are in academia a lot of the time, rather than the pop social studies I think I wanted??

With all this said, I recommend reading Geisha by Liza Dalby, if you want to know everything there is to know about geisha. Or if you just like reading serious nonfiction that will challenge your brain muscles. If you find the low fun rating intimidating, maybe consider Lesley Downer’s Women of the Pleasure Quarters instead.

Read the full review at https://notoriouslyboring.dk/review-o...

Pensaba que este libro sería un resumen de la tesis sobre las geishas que hizo esta mujer en los 70. O parte de su diario de campo.

Pero nop. Es una especie de libro de divulgación mezclado con recuerdos y anecdotas tanto sobre su etapa como investigadora como de su vuelta, un año después.

Es un libro curioso, pero se me queda corto para llamarlo "interesante" después de haber leído ya tanto sobre el tema.

This was a fascinating book written by the only western woman to become a Japanese Geisha. From a western perspective, I grew up thinking of geisha as simply highly paid escorts and, boy, was I wrong. The world of the geisha is fascinating, complex, and ever changing. They struggle to keep and adapt their identify with the changing times. This is revealed a lot about the intricacies, not only about the Geisha, but of the relationship between men and women in Japan.

Well that was much more interesting than I thought it was going to be, I was worried it would be a bit dry and academic but it turned out to be a really interesting and entertaining read. I wish I had read this before attending the kimono exhibition at the V&A pre-pandemic.

My only criticism is that the figures are so out of date. When she tells you how much things cost I'd like to have know how that stacked up against average salaries at the time, you can't tell if the geisha are being paid well or a pittance.

Oh my! Candy for the geishaphile! And who would have know the art lover too as in “gei” ~ art. Good pictures and drawings and poetry to keep the book as complex and rich as what a geisha’s life is to be.

Dalby has a lovely ability to live, feel, get caught up personally by her emotions and thoughts while “studying”, recording, and annotating another cultural sub-realm without losing human sensibilities or losing clarity of insight. A truly wonderful narrative descriptive study of geisha and their place and life in Japan until 1980s.

A fine balance between retelling of her experiences as a geisha and the history of the Japanese culture. Easy to read and an interesting lesson in cultural details and the attitudes surrounding them. It's a refreshing glance into a different world of past that refuses to die.

This is not simply a book describing the Geisha lifestyle from the point of view of the outsider as you might expect. The author delves deeply into the culture, not just by “becoming” a geisha but also, as an anthropologist, providing unique and detailed insight into it. I got far more than I ever expected when I first started reading this book (hence, my rating).

I read this years ago as part of research for my own writing. I did not expect to like but Liza's style and turn of phrase sucked me in. So much so, many of the events she covered stuck with me. (But I won't spoil.) I even got to verify some of the details myself when I took my own trip to Kyoto in 09. While this is tailored to a western perspective, the book itself feels authentic. Dalby did their best to immerse herself and learn a profession that many romanticise, but few outsiders get to actually see.

This was such a captivating non-fiction. Dalby lived such a fascinating life in Japan and her writing truly reflected on it's beauty. She was able to touch on both the positive and negative aspects of being a geisha (which should be taken with a certain grain of salt). I loved how she was able to provide both information and tell a beautiful story.

A really interesting anthropological study that is told as a story of Liza's experiences in becoming the first Americsn geisha. She explains the differences of geishas in different cities, the hierarchy, relationships, parties, dressings etc. I enjoyed it although it is a technical book, even if dramatised as mucb as possible.