In the early eleventh century a lady-in-waiting at the Heian court, Murasaki Shikibu, wrote the Genji Monogatari, a long prose tale in 54 chapters about the life and loves of the shining prince Genji and his descendants, in refined court Japanese. It is often called the world's first novel for its psychological depth and unity of plot. Written in the kana script, then regarded as women's writing, while men wrote in Chinese, it created a classic of Japanese literature. It was translated into English by Arthur Waley in 1925 to 1933 and into modern Japanese by many authors.
Before and after
- 1006The brightest supernova in recorded history appears
- from 1007 to 1090Construction of Qal'at Bani Hammad
- c. 1010Origins of Hanoi
- 1010Construction of Prahadisvarar Temple
- c. 1010sMurasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji
- from c. 1011 to 1215Ghurid dynasty
- from 1011 to 1934Construction of Saint Sophia Cathedral
- 1015Construction of Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg
- 1020Death of Ferdowsi
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- 15 April 1452Birth of Leonardo da Vinci
- c. 1485Painting of The Birth of Venus
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 11th century.