CAIRO (AP) β Egypt’s state-run news agency says Gamal el-Ghitani, one of Egypt’s most acclaimed novelists, has died at the age of 70.
The MENA agency says el-Ghitani died Sunday of respiratory complications at a military hospital in Cairo.
El-Ghitani is the author of the celebrated novel “Zayni Barakat,” a scathing critique of totalitarianism set in the Mamluk era, among many other works.
He founded Akhbar el-Adab, Egypt’s most prominent literary publication, in 1993 and ran it as editor in chief until 2011. Under his leadership, the publication was viewed as an independent voice, often critical of the state.
Egypt’s government and armed forces issued statements praising el-Ghitani.
El-Ghitani won the Nile Award, Egypt’s highest state honor, in 2015.
He is survived by his wife Mervat el-Gindi and his son Mohammed.
