Cairo: Egypt’s well-known writer Nabil Farouq, noted for his popular crime fiction books, has died of a heart attack, his family said. He was 64.
A medical specialist, Farouq published a series of novels mixing detective writings with science fiction that appealed mostly to teen readers in the Arab world. His most famous books included the series “The Man of the Impossible” and “The File of the Future”. They were mostly published in the form of pocket books.
After the popularity of his books, he quit medicine and devoted his time to writing. In 1990, he moved from his hometown of Tanta to Cairo where he lived until his death on Wednesday.
Famous Egyptian writer Ebrahim Abdul Majid paid homage to Farouq, saying he “opened the cave of detective fiction” in Egypt.
Culture Minister Inas Abdul Dayam said Farouq was a “landmark” in detective literature. The late writer will be buried after the noon prayer in a family cemetery near Cairo.
