The Tale of the World's First Novelist

<p><strong>The Woman Who Wrote the World's First Novel.</strong></p><p>Step behind the silk screens of 11th-century Heian Japan and discover the extraordinary life of <strong>Murasaki Shikibu</strong>. Born an ambitious scholar in a society that forbade female learning Murasaki channeled her grief and forbidden knowledge into <strong>The Tale of Genji</strong>-the monumental work that pioneered the psychological novel.</p><p>This definitive history charts her path from secluded widowhood to becoming a key literary attendant in the Imperial Court revealing how she captured the ephemeral sadness of <em>mono no aware</em> and redefined human consciousness on the page. Approx.182 pages 32300 word count</p>