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Murasaki Shikibu
Murasaki Shikibu was born into a lesser branch of the Fujiwara family, a noble lineage…
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Hello! My name is Murasaki Shikibu. I lived in Japan a very, very long time ago, around the year 1000. When I was a little girl, I loved stories more than anything! I loved to read and listen to tales about brave heroes and beautiful princesses. Back then, it was unusual for girls to learn how to read and write complicated things, but my father taught me. I would secretly peek at my brother's lessons and learn right alongside him!
When I grew up, I went to live in a grand palace to help the Empress. Her name was Shōshi. The palace was a busy place, full of people in beautiful clothes. To entertain the Empress and the other ladies, I started writing my own story. It was a very long and exciting tale about a handsome prince named Genji. I wrote about his adventures, his friends, and all the feelings in his heart. I called it The Tale of Genji. Everyone loved hearing what would happen next!
I lived a full life creating my stories. My book, The Tale of Genji, became famous all over Japan, and soon, all over the world. It is so old that some people call it the world’s very first novel! Today, hundreds of years later, people still read my story about Prince Genji to see what life was like long ago. I am so happy that the stories I imagined in my head are still bringing joy to people.
Murasaki Shikibu
Hello! My name is Murasaki Shikibu. I lived in Japan a very, very long time ago, around the year 1000. When I was a little girl, I loved stories more than anything! I loved to read and listen to tales about brave heroes and beautiful princesses. Back then, it was unusual for girls to learn how to read and write complicated things, but my father taught me. I would secretly peek at my brother's lessons and learn right alongside him!
When I grew up, I went to live in a grand palace to help the Empress. Her name was Shōshi. The palace was a busy place, full of people in beautiful clothes. To entertain the Empress and the other ladies, I started writing my own story. It was a very long and exciting tale about a handsome prince named Genji. I wrote about his adventures, his friends, and all the feelings in his heart. I called it The Tale of Genji. Everyone loved hearing what would happen next!
I lived a full life creating my stories. My book, The Tale of Genji, became famous all over Japan, and soon, all over the world. It is so old that some people call it the world’s very first novel! Today, hundreds of years later, people still read my story about Prince Genji to see what life was like long ago. I am so happy that the stories I imagined in my head are still bringing joy to people.
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Murasaki Shikibu was born into a lesser branch of the Fujiwara family, a noble lineage, and she was a lady-in-waiting and author of The Tale of Genji, widely considered the world's first novel, written in the early 11th century during the Heian period.
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