The Pillow Book
"The Tale of Genji" (), written in the early 11th century by a woman named , is considered the pre-eminent novel of Heian fiction. Other important writings of this period include the (905), a -poetry anthology, and "The Pillow Book" () (990s). "The Pillow Book" was written by , 's contemporary and rival, as an essay about the life, loves, and pastimes of nobles in the Emperor's court. Another notable piece of fictional Japanese literature was , a collection of over a thousand stories in 31 volumes. The volumes cover various tales from India, China and Japan.