Al-Tayeb Saleh | Major Arab novelist, 80

Al-Tayeb Saleh, 80, one of the Arab world's top novelists who excelled at portraying characters torn between East and West, has died in London, Sudan's official news agency said.

Mr. Saleh's works reflected the Arab and African quest for identity, especially in the 1960s, which were marked by the end of colonialism and the rise of nationalism across the region. He died Wednesday.

His 1966 masterpiece, The Season of Migration to the North, can be described as one of the earlier writings about the idea of a clash of civilizations.

The novel was ranked among the 100 best works of fiction in 2002, according to a vote by 100 noted writers from 54 countries organized by the Norwegian Book Clubs. - AP