CAIRO: Samir Sarhan, a writer and literary critic who organized the Cairo International Book Fair for years died Saturday of heart failure. He was 65 years old.
Sarhan died three days after he was discharged from Dar Al Fouad Hospital in Cairo, the Middle East News Agency said.
Sarhan graduated from Indiana University in 1968 before taking a position at Cairo University where he taught English literature. Later, he lectured at King Abdel Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Lately, he was appointed a consultant to the Minister of Culture, a post he held for the past year and a half.
In 1992 Sarhan became head of the General Egyptian Book Organization, a state-run body which is responsible for publishing government subsided books. During his nearly 12-year tenure he also organized Cairo s International Book Fair, the largest in the Middle East.
Only a few days before he passed away, Sarhan was awarded the prestigious annual State Merit Award for a life time of achievements in the arts.
Sarhan was also a regular writer in several Egyptian newspapers.
He is survived by a wife and a son. AP
