Arturo Uslar Pietri dies

One of Venezuela's best known authors, Arturo Uslar Pietri, has died from a heart attack in Caracas at the age of ninety-four.

He's best remembered for a historical novel, "The Red Spears" Las Lanzas Coloradas, which narrates the Venezuelan campaign of Simon Bolivar.

Other works include his collections of short stories "Red" and "Thirty Men and their Shadows", and several collections of essays.

Mr Uslar Pietri was also education, finance and foreign minister in the 1930's and 40's.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service