Egyptian author Ahmed Khaled Tawfik dies

— Influential Egyptian novelist Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, widely considered the first contemporary Arab writer of horror and science fiction, has died at the age of 55.

Since his death on Monday, condolences have poured in from fellow authors and fans, many of whom said his thrillers had filled a gap in Egyptian literature during their adolescence.

“Egyptian and Arab culture has lost a great novelist who enriched culture in Egypt and the Arab world,” Egyptian Culture Minister Inas Abdel-Dayem said.

“He was one of the most prominent writers of thrillers and youth stories...

(and) was renowned for his enjoyable and captivating style.”

Among his most well-known works are “Utopia,” “Fantasia,” and “The Supernatural” series, whose main character Refaat Ismael is a medical doctor like Tawfik.