The Associated Press

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian writer Moacyr Scliar, who achieved international recognition with his novels and short stories, has died. He was 73.

The Brazilian Academy of Letters says in an online statement that Scliar died in a hospital early Sunday of multiple organ failure.

He had been hospitalized since suffering a stroke last month in the southern city of Porto Alegre.

Scliar's best-known novels are the "The Centaur in the Garden," ''Max and the Cats" and "The Gods of Raquel."

His short stories include "The Enigmatic Eye," ''The Carnival of the Animals" and "The Ballad of the False Messiah."

Scliar is survived by his wife, Judith, and his son, Roberto.