Murasaki Shikibu

Wrote The Tale of Genji

Murasaki Shikibu

Japanese poet and novelist of the Heian court (c. 973-1014).

Lady-in-waiting at the imperial court, she wrote The Tale of Genji — often called the world's first novel — chronicling courtly love, jealousy and aesthetic refinement across 54 chapters. Wrote in vernacular Japanese at a time when serious literature was Chinese; her diary is a sharp witness to the politics and gossip of Heian Kyoto.

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Murasaki Shikibu is one of the historical characters you can play as in Rubicon, a trivia game where you answer in your own words and an AI judge reads what you meant. Murasaki Shikibu is filed under Arts & Culture, and is strongest at Arts & Culture and Language & Communication.

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