It is believed to have been written by the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu at the beginning of the 11th century, around the highest point of the Heian Period. The form of the language used at that time is called Late Old Japanese. "The Tale of Genji" is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, or the first novel to still be considered a classic, but many readers do not agree on this.