Naguib Mahfouz, First Arab to Win Nobel in Literature ; Was Widely Considered Mideast's Greatest Writer

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CAIRO, Egypt Naguib Mahfouz, the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature, died Wednesday at the age of 94, bringing tributes from literary figures and world leaders for an author who became a symbol of liberalism in the face of Islamic extremism.

Mr. Mahfouz's novels depicted modern life in his beloved neighborhood of Islamic Cairo, a teeming district of millennium-old mosques and winding alleyways. He brought to life his city's traditional families as they faced the 20th century's upheavals, including the changing role of women.

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Naguib Mahfouz, First Arab to Win Nobel in Literature ; Was Widely Considered Mideast's Greatest Writer

But he raised controversy among conservatives with his calls for religious tolerance. In 1994, an Islamic militant stabbed the then- 82-year-old Mr....

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