Madame Chrysanthème (novel)

Madame Chrysanthème is a novel by Pierre Loti, presented as the autobiographical journal of a naval officer who was temporarily married to a Japanese woman while he was stationed in Nagasaki, Japan.

[1] It closely follows the journal he kept of one-month paid relationship with Kiku (Chrysanthemum) in the Jūzenji (十善寺) neighbourhood (modern day Jūninmachi (十人町)) in 1885.

[2] Originally written in French and published in 1887, Madame Chrysanthème was very successful in its day, running to 25 editions in the first five years of its publication with translations into several languages including English.

[3] It has been considered a key text in shaping western attitudes toward Japan at the turn of the 20th century.

[4] It is known in Japan under the title of お菊さん (O Kiku-san), which is a direct translation of the French name.

Two standing men in white and a sitting woman in kimono.
Pierre Le Cor, Pierre Loti and Okane-San, photographed in 1885.