Her written work, "Genji Monogatari" ("The Tale of Genji") is widely
considered to be the world's first novel.
Shikibu Murasaki is not her real name, which is unknown. "Shikibu" was
a government title that her father held at one point, while "Murasaki"
was the name given to one of the characters in her work, "The Tale of
Genji".