One of the great names of Spanish literature, novelist Miguel Delibes, died at his home yesterday aged 89, Spanish media announced, citing his family.

Mr Delibes, born in northern Spanish city of Valladolid in 1920, had been suffering with cancer for several years, Spanish National Radio reported.

Author of Madera de heroe (The Stuff of Heroes) and Cinco horas con Mario (Five Hours with Mario), he received Spain's highest honour for literature, the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, in 1993.

In 1991, he was awarded the Spanish National Prize for Literature.

Mr Delibes's work, which reflected the upheavals of Spain after the 1936-1939 civil war, has been translated into around 30 languages. A dozen of his books have been adapted for cinema.