Madame Chrysantheme is a novel by Pierre Loti, presented as the autobiographical journal of a naval officer who was temporarily married to a geisha while he was stationed in Nagasaki, Japan. Originally written in French and published in 1887, Madame Chrysantheme was a precursor to Madame Butterfly and Miss Saigon and 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. It has been considered a key text in shaping western attitudes toward Japan at the turn of the 20th century. Pierre Loti (pseudonym of Julien Viaud; 14 January 1850 - 10 June 1923) was a French novelist and naval officer."