Madame Chrysanthème

Synopsis

Madame Chrysanthème is an 1887 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. 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. Originally written in French, Madame Chrysanthème was very successful, running to 25 editions in the first five years of its publication with translations into several languages including English. It has been considered a key text in shaping western attitudes toward Japan at the turn of the 20th century. It is known in Japan under the title of お菊さん (O Kiku-san), a direct translation of the French name. André Messager's 1893 opera Madame Chrysanthème is based on the novel, as are some aspects of Puccini's 1904 opera Madama Butterfly.

Text license: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Details

Type

Book

Release date

January 1, 1888

Created by

Pierre Loti

Countries

France

Cover: Wikimedia Commons · Pierre Loti · Public domain · Source