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Murasaki Shikibu (973? - 1025? or d.992?) was a novelist, poet, and
servant of the imperial court during the Heian period of Japan. She is well
known as the author of The Tale of Genji, written about year 1000 and said
to be the first novel in the world literature.
Lady Murasaki's mother died while she was a child, so Murasaki was
raised, contrary to customs of the time, by her father, a scholar and
officer of the imperial court. During Heian-era Japan, couples lived
separately and children were raised by the mother and her family. Also
contrary to customs of the time, her father gave her a male's education.
Males were educated in and taught Chinese, the official language of the
court, while females were taught kana and poetry. Her father praised her
intelligence and ability, but lamented she was "born a woman".
Three works are attributed to Murasaki, the most important being The Tale
of Genji. The Murasaki Shikibu Diary and The Murasaki Shikibu Collection
were arranged and published posthumously.
A fictionalized biography of Murasaki called The Tale of Murasaki: A
Novel was written by Liza Crihfield Dalby, who is the only Westerner to have
been trained as a geisha.
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