Liza Dalby
In 2007 she wrote a memoir, East Wind Melts the Ice, which was followed two years later by a second work of fiction, Hidden Buddhas.
Her study, which included interviews with more than 100 geisha, was considered to be excellent and received praise from scholars at the time of publication, although some retrospective scholarship is more critical.
As such, Dalby began attending banquets under the name Ichigiku, with another geisha, Ichiume, acting as her ceremonial "older sister".
In an interview with Salon.com, Dalby explained that in 11th century Japanese court literature, female authors such as Murasaki Shikibu wrote lengthy descriptions of the clothing people wore, with outright descriptions of people's faces or names considered highly rude and almost non-existent in Heian period literature; as such, definitions of beauty and high fashion of the time period centred around the symbolism represented in the layering of clothing and its interaction with the depiction of nature and the seasons in Heian period art and literature.
Dalby stated her decision to write a fictional account of Murasaki's life was driven by the fact that she "couldn't contribute anything scholarly".
[4] Fascinated by an 11th century Heian period court culture oriented for the most part around poetic art and literature reflecting the natural world, Dalby wove much of it into the book, writing about the clothing the women wore; the love affairs they had; the manner in which poetry was frequently exchanged; and the seclusion of women within the Heian period court, where they were often seen by men behind screens, their faces unseen by lovers.
In the book, Dalby follows a system of time and the seasons derived in ancient China, wherein a year is divided into 72 five day periods.
The New York Times Book Review praised East Wind Melts the Ice, calling Dalby's writing style "eccentric", presenting unusual yet interesting material, weaving together experiences from Japan, China and northern California to create a "wealth of information".
