Julia 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?

Julia Cue an "It's always sunny" meme when evolution was on trial because if you only read something in a book how can you know it's true?

I think we have to…moreCue an "It's always sunny" meme when evolution was on trial because if you only read something in a book how can you know it's true?

I think we have to take this with the usual caveats we give to other autobiographies, in that perhaps the author has some sort of reason for omitting or adjusting the truth to make themselves look better or to push certain point, or fallibility of human memory may change the account itself.

Having a certain amount of skepticism of autobiographies is good thing, however I think in general we can trust this account. I am certainly way more suspicious of Golden's interpretation for obvious reasons. She seems most offended by the impression that geiko have no agency and were trafficked in as children and constantly endured physical abuse. Most of the book describes her day to day life and how the business was run and the history of it. She was very sure that she chose this life for herself, (although it seems obvious she was manipulated into leaving her family over the course of several years).

I believe her claim that she was the greatest in her time. Not only does she have the receipts to back up that claim, (system of recording earnings is well documented in the book), but also in telling her story, she shows an incredible endurance and willingness to learn. As a child she loved dance and kimonos and would show up early to class to receive private time with the teacher before class and practiced what she learned before bed. She was also the heir to her house, which meant she probably received special treatment and other help that was not given to others, perhaps without her knowing. She also did not have much of a social life, which meant she could focus entirely on her studies. I think naturally these things would bring about success even in this high stakes environment. When you live that much in a subject, eat sleep and breathe it, you will naturally excel.(less)

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