Murasaki flower

BIOGRAPHIES Female Heroes of Asia: Japan (Lady Murasaki: 973-1025? Murasaki shikibu accomplishments When did murasaki shikibu die Murasaki meaning When was murasaki shikibu born Shikibu name meaning C.E.)

Murasaki Shikibu is the best known writer to emerge from Japan's glorious Heian period. Her novel, The Tale of Genji (Genji-monogatari)is considered to be one of the world's finest and earliest novels.

Some argue that Murasaki is the world's first modern novelist.

Shikibu was born into the Fujiwara family, daughter of the governor of a province, who also was a well known scholar.

Murasaki shikibu early life

Always very intelligent, as a child she learned more quickly than her brother, causing her father to lament, "If only you were a boy, how happy I should be!" He did, however, allow Shikibu to study with her brother, even letting her learn some Chinese classics, which was considered improper for females at the time.

When she was in her early twenties, Lady Murasaki was married to a distant relative.

Her only daughter was born in 999. After the death of her husband in 1001 A.D, kn