Murasaki Shikibu

"If you are scorched earth, I will be warm rain." - Murasaki Shikibu

This lovely line is from Shikibu’s 11th century, profoundly influential work The Tale of Genji, which is often referred to as the world’s first novel. Our illustration is inspired by the wagasa (a Japanese umbrella), the shape suggesting the sun’s rays beating down on a windswept landscape.