Renowned writer Kristóf dead

Swiss novelist Ágota Kristóf has died at her home at the age of 75, officials confirmed.

The Hungarian-born author, who published her works in French, achieved success with Le Grand Cahier (The Notebook) in 1986.

She won numerous prestigious literary awards for her books which were translated into more than 30 languages, including English and her mother tongue Hungarian.

She stopped writing in 2005, shortly after the release of her autobiography.

Born in Hungary in 1935, Kristóf came to Switzerland in 1956 and was a factory worker before she turned to writing.

Her work often dealt with split identities and her literary style has been described as austere and minimalistic.

Speaking on Wednesday the head of the Federal Culture Office, Jean-Frédéric Jauslin, said Switzerland had lost one of its great authors who had not won the popularity she deserved despite the high literary quality of her work.