A staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, Mahfouz allocated part of the Nobel prize money to charities for the Palestinians.

CAIRO — Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt's most celebrated author and the only Arab to win the Nobel prize for literature, passed away on Wednesday, August 30, at the age of 94, several weeks after his health abruptly deteriorated.

"(Mahfouz) suffered a cardiac arrest Tuesday at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) but doctors resuscitated him. He had another one today at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and this time there was failure," a close friend told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He was first admitted to hospital in mid-July suffering from various kidney problems, pneumonia and other ailments related to his age.

Mahfouz was taken to intensive care on August 14 and had remained in critical condition ever since despite improving slightly in recent days.

A lover of Cairo's sprawling cafes, many of Mahfouz's works center around life in the bustling city, bringing out its uniquely "Egyptian" character at a key historical period during which a national identity was being defined.

Until a few weeks before his death, the writer's frail figure could still occasionally be seen at his favorite Cairo cafes among one of his many circles of friends.

Throughout his life, Mahfouz was actively interested in politics, staunchly defending a spirit of tolerance and acceptance, a stance which brought controversy into his life.

In 1988, he became the first, and so far the only, Arab writer to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature, notably for the universal character of his art, which was considered a metaphor for relations between people in communities worldwide.

A staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, Mahfouz divided the prize money in four equal parts: one for his wife, two for his daughters, while part of his share went to charities for the Palestinians.

He obtained his philosophy degree from Cairo University at the age of 23, at a time when many Egyptians had only a primary education.

Pioneer

"He was the last of the pioneers," Mahfuz's friend and biographer Raymond Stock told AFP.

"He was the only Egyptian who perfectly blended the East and the West."

Born in Cairo in December 1911, Mahfouz was Egypt's most renowned intellectual with about 50 novels to his name.

He began writing at the age of 17 and had his first novel published in 1939.

A flurry of other novels followed but it was the Cairo trilogy -- Between the Palaces, Palace of Longing and Sugarhouse -- published between 1955 and 1957, that brought his name to the forefront of Arab literature.

The books, depicting traditional urban life, tell of a family living through the first half of the century when Egypt went from British colonial rule to independence under a monarchy.

"Many classified him as a 19th century-style novelist after the trilogy but in my opinion he surpassed many of the greats from the West," Stock said.

"Although his physical condition deteriorated, his mental powers grew, his literary powers also continued to grow. He learned how to write entire novels in one paragraph."

Nearly half of Mahfouz's novels have been made into films which have circulated throughout the Arabic-speaking world.

He wrote more than 100 short stories, many of which have been translated into English.

His novel, Children of Gebalawi, published in 1959, was banned by Egypt's Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni world, for the disillusioned view it gave of religion.

The book brought more trouble for him in the 1980s, when the Jihad group said Mahfouz should be killed for blasphemy over the book.

He narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in 1994 that damaged a nerve and seriously impaired his ability to use his writing hand.

In a biography put out when he was named Nobel laureate, the Nobel Foundation said his second period of writing, starting with Children of Gebalawi, saw a "new vein that frequently concealed political judgments under allegory and symbolism."

Military Funeral

Security sources said the author would be given a military funeral, according to AFP.

He will be buried Thursday, August 31, in Cairo, sources at the interior ministry said.

Mahfouz's funeral will be held at noon (0900 GMT) Thursday at the Al-Rashdan mosque in Cairo's Nasr City district, an official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The mosque is where many funerals are held for public figures who are given full military honors.

Another official speaking on condition of anonymity said the location of the funeral meant President Hosni Mubarak would most likely attend.