© Columbia University Press
Autobiography of a Geisha
Paper, 216 pages, 4 photos
ISBN: 978-0-231-12951-0
$22.95
/ £15.95
April, 2003
Cloth, 216 pages, 4 photos
ISBN: 978-0-231-12950-3
$75.00
/ £52.00
"[Masuda's] endurance of adversity is admirable, as is the down-to-earth way in which she relates her story. She is witty, realistic, and forthright about her life, and readers will admire her courage and determination." — Marlene Y. Satter, Foreword Magazine
"This account shocked Japanese readers with its bitter taste of grinding poverty and its revelations about the geisha world's dark side. A comfortless portrait of the flip side of the geisha world, where one is more slave than courtesan." — Kirkus Reviews
"At once intriguing and heartbreaking." — Publishers Weekly
"Masuda's memoir is a must-read for those interested in the lives of geishas." — Booklist
"Courageously, Masuda refuses to put white makeup on the unsightly aspects of her tale, inviting readers to take a long, hard look at the unadulterated face of geisha living." — Los Angeles Times Book Review
"As I read this autobiography I cried for the women who live their lives as geishas. . .Thank you, Sayo Masuda, for revealing your life to us." — Judy Helman, Woman's Day
"Originally published in Japan in the 1950's, Autobiography of a Geisha is a remarkably fresh and personal account of a life that is a far cry not only from the Eastern exoticism of [John Ball's Miss One Hundred Thousand Spring Blossoms], but also from the upscale and at least sometimes glamorous lives depicted in [Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha." — Persimmon
"A much-needed corrective to the romantic myths spun around this profession . . . Superbly preserved and sensitively rendered . . . [Masuda's] gripping, heart-rending and humorous account is a gem, especially as it offers a view 'from below' of the untold social history of modern Japan." — Times Literary Supplement
"Since the publication of Arthur Golden's bestselling novelMemoirs of a Geisha, there has been a spate of books that an unkind reviewer might label 'follow-ons' . . . While all of these speak to a greater or lesser extent of the hardships and occasional cruelties of the geisha's life, none provides as raw and unvarnished account as Sayo Masuda'sAutobiography." — Monumenta Nipponica
"Autobiography of a Geisha is a compelling... gritty and at times bleak account, but one which is related with great pathos and humor throughout. Rowley is to be commended." — Bulletin of the School of Oriental and AFrican Studies, University of London
"Her story is heartbreaking, but her indomitable spirit prevents it from becoming maudlin." — Elizabeth Quinn, Bust
"In this sensitive translation of an original memoir of a real geisha, Gaye Rowley gives us an unvarnished firsthand look into the world of a woman who unflinchingly relates the bitter struggle of her geisha existence in pre-WWII Japan. This is a fascinating and heart-rending tale." — Liza Dalby, author of Geisha
"This engrossing and very human story of survival not only casts light on the lives of countless women in early modern Japan, but offers the reader a compelling portrait of one woman's experiences in the often idealized world of the geisha." — Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha
"Sayo’s unadorned yet spirited autobiography recounting her coming-of-age in the unglamorous world of the country geisha and the harsh choices offered by the postwar world makes a bracing antidote to the enticements of finery, romance with patrons, and exquisite training in the arts purveyed by so many geisha stories. The art in Masuda’s life crystallizes from her very survival and subsequent determination to put it in writing herself." — Norma Field, University of Chicago
"A remarkable story [that] tells us a great deal about how unkind a society can be to the more unfortunate of its fellow citizens. . . . An important piece of social history of Japan in the 1940s and 1950s. G. G. Rowley’s translation is very good indeed. Her language is always natural and fluent, and very persuasive." — Edwin McClellan, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, Yale University