Lady Murasaki, c.1010. Often called the world's first novel; foundational text for modern Japanese literature in the 20th century.
From Wikipedia
The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature said to have been written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is the first novel written by a woman to have won global recognition. In Japan, The Tale of Genji has a stature similar to that of Shakespeare in the UK.