源氏物語
The Tale of Genji
The oldest surviving novel in the world:
Written by Murasaki Shikibu, a woman, in the 11th Century!
The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century.
The work recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, the son of the emperor and focuses on Genji's romantic life while describing the customs of the aristocratic society of the time.
It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have won global recognition, and in Japan today has a stature like that of Shakespeare in England!
Murasaki Shikibu (born in 973) was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the 10-11th Century. Women at the time were traditionally excluded from learning Chinese, the written language of government, but Murasaki managed to acquire fluency. She was a part of a growing literature movement during the peaceful Heian period with her novel being revolutionary and famous in its time and today.