(circa 973-circa 1014)
Born in Kyoto, Japan
Maid of honor in the imperial court of Japan
Novelist and poet
Wrote 'The Tale of Genji' and 'The Muraski Shikibu Diary'

Little is known about her, including her real name.
Her father praised her intelligence but lamented that she was 'born a woman.'
She had a rivalry with fellow author Sei Shonagon.
One of her (fictional) descendants is a main character in Thomas Harris' awful prequel 'Hannibal Rising.'

Her mother died when she a child and her father gave her a 'male' education, including classical literature.
Her daughter also became a poet.
'The Tale of Genji' has been called the first novel.
Nobel Prize winning author Yasunari Kawabata said, 'The Tale of Genji is the highest pinnacle of Japanese literature. Even to our day, there has not been a piece of fiction to compare with it.'

Credit: C. Fishel

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