Tamuna Tsertsvadze answers “How certain can we be that what Mineko...”

T Huong asked this question about Geisha, a Life:

How certain can we be that what Mineko wrote in the novel about herself is true? A. Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha is subjected to such scrutiny even though it is historical fiction, not historical fact, but a former geisha’s claim to be the greatest of her time isn’t? Why’s that?

Tamuna Tsertsvadze Because he tarnished the name of what a "geisha" means and what their profession is truly about (confusing and fusing it with the term "oiran" and the…moreBecause he tarnished the name of what a "geisha" means and what their profession is truly about (confusing and fusing it with the term "oiran" and their profession), claiming that he had based his fiction on authentic sources, hence defaming the entire profession and its practitioners. Mineko Iwasaki, on the other hand, tries to educate her readers on the authentic practices of a geisha and the intricate details of the business. And she does not raise false claims - if you read the twentieth-century Gion Kobu history and facts, she was indeed the most hired geisha in the years she is describing. She is not overestimating herself, but A. Golden undermined her and all geishas' reputation.(less)

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