Irish author John McGahern has died in hospital in Dublin at the age of 71.
His much celebrated work included the Booker-shortlisted Amongst Women, one of his six novels which focused on often repressed life in rural Ireland.
McGahern first came to prominence in 1965 with his second novel, The Dark, which was banned in the Irish Republic.
After the publication of the book, he was sacked from his job as a teacher. Last year, he published Memoir, an account of his youth in County Leitrim.
McGahern's other works include That They May Face the Rising Sun, The Barracks and The Leavetaking, as well as a number of short story collections.
MCGAHERN'S WRITING CAREER
He lived with his second wife, Madeline Green, in County Leitrim for the past three decades.
Irish President Mary McAleese said the writer had "made an enormous contribution to our self-understanding as a people".
"His work often pitched him into a place of some discomfort, not only for himself but for the reader also," she said.
"His was a challenging voice yet not without compassion, a voice that spoke of his great and honest love for his country and its people."
Irish prime minster Bertie Ahern said McGahern had "faithfully lived out his vocation as a writer".
"The early sacrifice he paid for his work strengthened his resolve. His talent, however, was not tied to any passing celebrity," he said.
"Through decades he slowly, meticulously and beautifully crafted some of the finest passages of literature ever written on this island."
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