Murasaki Shikibu (ca. 976-ca. 1031) was a Japanese writer of the late Heian period. Her "The Tale of Genji," the world's first psychological novel, is one of the longest and most distinguished masterpieces of Japanese literature. The exact dates of the...

(973?–1014?), Japanese writer. Murasaki Shikibu wrote the undisputed masterpiece of Japanese literature Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji, 1001?–1014?). This monumental prose work, interspersed with 795 short poems, takes place at the...

Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部 c. 973–c. 1014 or 1025), or Lady Murasaki as she is sometimes known in English, was a Japanese novelist, poet, and a maid of honor of the imperial court during the Heian period. She is best known as the author of The...