| NOTA |
(★)(1.Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, they have been intrigued by Japanese womanhood and, above all, geisha. This fascination has spawned a wealth of extraordinary fictional creation, from Puccini´s ´Madame Butterfly´to Arthur Golden´s ´Memoirs of a Geisha´. The reality of the geisha´s existence, though, whether today or in history, has rarely been addressed. Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but, literally,´arts people´. Their accomplishments might include singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument but, above all, they are masters of the art of conversation, soothing the worries of the highly paid businessmen who can afford their attentions with extreme skill and patience. It is this which imbues the geisha with such power -and which makes absolute secrecy such a crucial aspect of their lives. 2.Lesley Downer lived in Japan for more than ten years and speaks fluent Japanese. As well as writing for newspapers such as´The Sunday Times´, the´Scotman´ and the´Financial Times´, Lesley has presented television programmes for Channel 4, the BBC and NHK. Her previous books include´On the Narrow Road to the Deep North´, which was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book of the Year award and made into a television documentary entitled´Journey to a Lost Japan´, and´The Brothers´.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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