Lady Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973 - c. 1014 or 1925) was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting. Born in in Heian-kyō, Japan, Shikibu was a part of the Fujiwara clan. While Heian women were traditionally excluded from learning Chinese, Shikibu was able to become proficient in classical Chinese by listening in on her brother's lessons. With his further assistance, she was also instructed in traditional subjects such as music, calligraphy and Japanese poetry. At the age of twenty-five, Shikibu entered into marriage with a friend of her father's, Fujiwara no Nobutaka, and it was because of this marriage that Shikibu was allowed ample leisure time to read and eventually, write. Shikibu would produce at least three books: a diary (The Diary of Lady Murasaki), a volume of poetry (Poetic Memoirs), and the groundbreaking novel, The Tale of Genji.
