The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is, alongside the Pillow Book, the classic work of middle Japanese literature. It is attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu and has been called the world's first novel.
There is considerable debate over how much of the Genji was actually written by Murasaki Shikibu. It known that the story was finished in its present form in 1021 – the author Sarashina Nikki wrote a famous diary entry about her joy at acquiring a complete copy of the tale. With that in mind, it is likely that if Murasaki Shikibu did not complete the work the tale, it was fisnished by a contemporary. Some have argued that Murasaki Shikibu wrote chapters one to 33, and that chapters 35 to 54 were written by her daughter Daini no Sanmi.

Murasaki Shikibu (978 – c.1031) was a maid of honor of the imperial court during the Heian period. She was born about 978 in Kyoto, Japan. "Murasaki Shikibu" was not her real name; her actual name is unknown. "Murasaki" ("purple wisteria blossom") was her nickname at court, after a character in The Tale of Genji. "Shikibu" refers to her father's position in the Bureau of Ceremony (shikibu-sho). She was born in a family of minor nobility and a member of the northern branch of the Fujiwara clan. She either died in 1014, when records show that her father suddenly returned to Kyoto from his governor's mansion, or between 1025 and 1031.
Murasaki was raised, contrary to customs of the time, by her father Fujiwara no Tametoki, a scholar and officer of the imperial court, and given a male education. She was married in her early 20s and had one child, Daini no Sanmi, who became a noted poet herself.
At the imperial court, she was the lady in waiting for Empress Shoshi. She was in the same court at Sei Shonagon, author of The Pillow Book and the two were rivals.
Three works are attributed to Murasaki, the most important being The Tale of Genji. The Murasaki Shikibu Diary and The Murasaki Shikibu Collection, a compilation of 128 poems.

The Tale of Genji

The Tale of Genji, (Genji Monogatori) was written for the women of the aristocracy (the yokibito) and was written in kana (Japanese phonetic script) and not in Chinese. Writing in Chinese characters was at the time a masculine pursuit; women confining themselves mostly to pure Japanese.
The Tale has been called the first novel because it has many elements found in the modern novel: a central character and a large number of major and minor characters, well-developed characterizations, a sequence of events happening over a period of time and an almost psychological insight into the motivations of many of the characters.
One of the problems of the Tale is there is not a plot as such. Events just happen, although a chronological consistency is maintained throughout the story.
Another problem is that many of the characters are not identified by name but by their royal title in the case of men -- Minister of The Right, Heir Apparent etc and robe colours in the case of women. This is a peculiarity of the Japanese court that regarded use of names as unacceptably informal. Most modern translators have taken the liberty of ascribing characters nicknames.
The tale recounts the life of a son of a Japanese emperor, known to readers as Hikaru Genji, or the Shining Genji. The tale follows the handsome Genji's romantic life and describes in detail the customs of aristocratic society of the time.
The Tale follows court intrigues, Genji’s sexual escapades and his political struggles are he rises to Emperor. Genji’s life is full of complications and tragedies in spite of his exalted political position. The final chapters of the book detail the lives of his two sons after Genji dies.
Modern readers may have a hard time with the male character’s attitudes toward women. In one case, Genji practically rapes a concubine with little fear of punishment and in another kidnaps a young girl in order to bring her up as a perfect concubine.
Because of the cultural difference, reading an annotated version of the Genji is quite common, even among Japanese.