Gamal al-Ghitani, one of Egypt's most acclaimed novelists whose work was frequently published in English translations and who "was most famous for his 1974 novel Zayni Barakat," died Sunday, the New York Times reported. He was 70. He wrote more than a dozen novels, including The Zafarani Files, Pyramid Texts, The Book of Epiphanies and The Book of Revelations, as well as short story collections. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail praised him this week for "enriching literature with his unique style, intelligence and broad vision."
