The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) (early 11th century)
54-chapter court narrative of Prince Genji's loves; the final 'Uji chapters' follow Kaoru and Niou
Literature · Novelists
Murasaki Shikibu
c. 973–c. 1014 or later · Japanese
Heian-period court literature (monogatari)
Murasaki Shikibu was a lady-in-waiting at the Heian court of Japan who wrote The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) in the early 11th century, a long prose narrative often called the world's first novel. It follows the loves and career of Hikaru Genji, the "Shining Prince", and then his successors. She also left a diary and a collection of poems, and her real personal name is unknown.
How to spot them
- ▸The Tale of Genji; Hikaru Genji, the 'Shining Prince'; 54 chapters
- ▸Lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi (Akiko), daughter of the regent Fujiwara no Michinaga
- ▸Rival of Sei Shōnagon, author of The Pillow Book, whom she criticised in her diary
- ▸'Murasaki' likely borrowed from a heroine of Genji; 'Shikibu' from her father's post in the Ministry of Ceremonial
- ▸Appears on the reverse of Japan's 2,000-yen note
Key works
The Diary of Lady Murasaki (Murasaki Shikibu Nikki) (c. 1008–1010)
Account of court life around Empress Shōshi, including a sharp verdict on Sei Shōnagon
Murasaki Shikibu shū (poetry collection) (early 11th century)
Personal collection of her waka poems
Poem 57 of the Hyakunin Isshu (anthology compiled c. 1235)
Her waka is included in Fujiwara no Teika's anthology of one hundred poets
Key ideas
- Genji is prized for psychological subtlety and the aesthetic of mono no aware, a gentle sadness at the transience of things
- Written in Japanese kana rather than the Chinese used by male scholars, it helped establish Japanese vernacular prose
- Illustrated as the 12th-century Genji Monogatari Emaki handscrolls, a national treasure of Japan
Quick-fire facts
- •Her father was the scholar-official Fujiwara no Tametoki; she reportedly learned Chinese by listening to her brother's lessons
- •She married Fujiwara no Nobutaka, who died a few years later, leaving her with a daughter
- •Genji's great love is the young Murasaki, whom he raises and later marries
- •Arthur Waley's English translation appeared 1921–1933; later versions are by Edward Seidensticker (1976) and Royall Tyler (2001)
- •The 2,000-yen note (first issued in 2000) shows a Genji scroll scene and a portrait of Murasaki Shikibu
- •Her dates of birth and death are uncertain; scholars place her death anywhere from about 1014 to the 1020s or later
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Sources
- Royall Tyler — The Tale of Genji (trans. Royall Tyler), introduction
- Richard Bowring — The Diary of Lady Murasaki (trans. Richard Bowring)