Dr Shahnon Ahmad passes away

PETALING JAYA: National laureate Datuk Dr Shahnon Ahmad passed away on Tuesday morning due to pneumonia. He was 84.

His son Asrol Shahnon said his father died at KPJ Hospital in Kajang where he was warded for the past five days.

"His remains will be prepared for burial at Surau Madani, Section 3, Bandar Baru Bangi and will be buried after zohor prayers at the Sungai Tangkas Muslim cemetery," he said when contacted.

Dr Shahnon, a Professor Emeritus at Universiti Sains Malaysia, was awarded with the National Literary Award in 1982.

He was also a former PAS member of Parliament after winning the Sik constituency in Kedah in the 1999 general election, but did not defend his seat in the subsequent polls.

The renowned novelist had also won several awards such as The Champion of Literature (1976), Asean Literary Prize (1990) and Mastera Literary Award (2010, 2011).

Some of his notable published works include Maha Maha ("Great Worlds", 1999) and Muntah ("Nausea", 2000).