About the Author

      Murasaki Shikibu was born in 973 C.E. into the Fujiwara family during Japan's Heian Period. Daughter of a scholar and province governor, she was always very intelligent. Lady Murasaki, unlike many Japanese women, was fluent in Chinese and had learned Chinese classics, though it was considered improper at the time for women in Japan to do so. After giving birth to her only daughter in 999 C.E. and becoming a widow in 1001 C.E., Murasaki Shikibu was brought to the imperial court to serve as lady-in-waiting to Empress Shoshi because of her known intelligence and writing abilities. Lady Murasaki's best known works include The Tale of Genji and a diary she kept while serving in the imperial court titled, Diary of Lady Murasaki. Lady Murasaki is said to have died in either 1014 C.E. or 1025 C.E.