Memoirs of a Geisha

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II. The novel is narrated from the point of view of Nitta Sayuri, a retired geisha in her 70s, living in the Waldorf Towers in New York City. She is interviewed by Jakob Haarhuis, a professor at New York University. Professor Haarhuis is credited as the story's translator, although he is a fictional character himself. (This is apparently a reference to the fact that Golden interviewed a retired geisha as part of his research for the novel.) The story is told in flashback format with continuous references to the time between Sayuri's career and the time she is being interviewed. She also periodically explains different aspects of geisha life.