Memoirs of a Geisha (Further Reading)

Further Reading

• Downer, Lesley, Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha, Broadway, 2001.

  Written by a British journalist, this book is the result of extensive research about the highly secretive world of the geisha and its history. Downer wrote this book specifically with Western readers in mind.

• Henshall, Kenneth G., A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower, Palgrave Macmillan, 1999.

  A professor of Japanese studies, Henshall offers a lively and accessible introduction to Japan's long history. The book is complemented by literary excerpts, diagrams, and chronologies.

• Iwasaki, Mineko, and Rande Brown (translator), Geisha of Gion: The Memoir of Mineko Iwasaki, Simon & Schuster, 2003.

  Written by the geisha interviewed by Golden for his novel, this memoir is an autobiographical account of an actual retired geisha.

• Varley, Paul, Japanese Culture, University of Hawaii Press, 2000.

  Often used as an undergraduate text, Varley's book covers religion, customs, art, and many other important aspects of Japanese culture.