The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Murasaki Shikibu
(m´´räsä´k sh´´kb´) (KEY) , c.978–1031?, Japanese novelist, court figure at the height of the Heian period (795–1185). Known also as Lady Murasaki, she is celebrated as the author of the romantic novel Genji-Monogatari [tale of Genji], one of the first great works of fiction to be written in Japanese. It concerns the life of Prince Genji and his descendants and is a subtle and thorough delineation of a complex society.
´´räsä´k
sh
