The Tale of Genji
Murasaki Shikibu writes what may be the world's first novel
The court lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote the story of Prince Genji's loves and life at the imperial court. Often called the world's first novel, it is the summit of classical Japanese prose.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 11th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- c. 1000 Stephen I, first king of Hungary — 10 years earlier
Eastern Europe & Russia
- 988 Christianization of Kievan Rus' — 22 years earlier
Middle East
- 1025 Avicenna's Canon of Medicine — 15 years later
Africa
- c. 1000 Extinction of the elephant birds — 10 years earlier
- 1006 Supernova SN 1006 — 4 years earlier
Americas
- 1021 Norse in North America — 11 years later
Alive at the time
- Vladimir the Great (aged 50)
- Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (aged 30)
- Ferdowsi (aged 70)
- Æthelred the Unready (aged 44)
- Leif Erikson (aged 40)
- Murasaki Shikibu (aged 37)
- Yaroslav the Wise (aged 32)
- Cnut the Great (aged 15)
- Edward the Confessor (aged 7)
- Sei Shōnagon (aged 44)