Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was taught at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an Master Degree in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer in Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an Master Degree in English from Boston University. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children. Memoirs of a Geisha is his first novel.