Here's why:
* Ancient Literature: Many ancient cultures had long, complex narratives that could be considered proto-novels. Examples include:
* Ancient Greek: Homer's *The Odyssey* and *The Iliad*.
* Ancient Roman: Apuleius's *The Golden Ass*.
* Ancient Indian: The *Mahabharata* and the *Ramayana*.
* Ancient Chinese: *The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter* and *Journey to the West*.
* The Novel as a Genre: The concept of the "novel" as a distinct genre developed in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
* Early European Novels: Some claim *Don Quixote* by Miguel de Cervantes (1605) is the first "true novel," due to its satirical tone, complex characters, and focus on a fictional world. Others consider *The Tale of Genji* by Murasaki Shikibu (written around 1008 in Japan) as a strong contender for the first novel, due to its realistic depiction of court life and complex characters.
Therefore, it's impossible to definitively say who wrote the "first novel." It's more accurate to recognize that the concept of the novel evolved gradually across various cultures and times.