{"product_id":"geisha-lesley-downer","title":"Geisha - Lesley Downer","description":"\u003cp class=\"Text Text__title1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNonFiction: History \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Text Text__title1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Secret History of a Vanishing World\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Text Text__title1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEver since Westerners arrived in Japan, they have been intrigued by Japanese womanhood and, above all, the geisha.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis fascination has spawned a wealth of extraordinary fictional creations, from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe reality of the geisha’s existence, though — whether today or in history — has very rarely been addressed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe real, hidden history of the geisha — and the contemporary reality of this intensely private and disappearing world — is here fully and brilliantly explored by an award-winning writer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLesley Downer describes the history of the practise, one which is endangered in the modern era.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy speaking to geishas and those who spend time with them, the author gives a well-rounded portrait, which is at times unsettling and at others enthralling.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLarge paperback, light spine creasing, moderate wear\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Belle's Books Online Secondhand Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52517675368728,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0808\/7574\/9656\/files\/Geisha-LesleyDowne.png?v=1786706555","url":"https:\/\/bellesbookssa.com\/products\/geisha-lesley-downer","provider":"Belle's Books Online Secondhand Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}