Murasaki Shikibu

Heian court lady whose Tale of Genji is often called the world's first novel.

Specifications & Metrics

era

c. 973 – 1014

language

Classical Japanese

region

Heian-kyō (Kyoto), Japan

notable works

The Tale of Genji, The Diary of Lady Murasaki

Core Principles & Analysis

• She served Empress Shōshi at the Heian court while writing Genji.
• The novel's psychological interiority appeared a millennium before European parallels.
• Her diary preserves the court life her fiction refracts.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Murasaki Shikibu