The woman known as Murasaki Shikibu (ca. 973–1014) was the author of Genji monogatari ( The Tale of Genji, ca. 1010), widely considered one of the finest works of Japanese literature as well as the world’s oldest novel. Much of the tale revolves around its eponymous character Genji and the political and romantic intrigues of four generations of court nobility. The tale has long been celebrated for the nuanced psychological interiority of its characters. Murasaki Shikibu also leaves behind fragments of a memoir ( Murasaki Shikibu nikki) and a book of vernacular poetry ( Murasaki Shikibu shū).