JABALPUR: Writer Gyanranjan, a prominent storyteller and renowned literary figure of the progressive movement of the 1970s, has died at the age of 90 in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur city, an associate said on Thursday.

He was suffering from age-related ailments and was admitted to a private hospital after his health deteriorated on Wednesday morning. He breathed his last at 10.30 pm on Wednesday, family friend Pankaj Swami told PTI.

Gyanranjan, who served as the editor of 'Pahal', a prestigious literary magazine, was born on November 21, 1936, in Maharashtra's Akola district.

He spent the early years of his life in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and received higher education from Allahabad University.

In 2013, Jabalpur University conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature.

He was a professor of Hindi at G S College, affiliated with Jabalpur University, and retired in 1996 after 34 years of service.

Gyanranjan published several short story collections, and his unique prose work, 'Kabadkhana', became very popular.

He was a recipient of the Sahitya Bhushan Award from the Hindi Institute, the Subhadra Kumari Chauhan Award from the Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Parishad, the Shikhar Award from the Madhya Pradesh Culture Department, and the Maithili Sharan Gupt Award.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

His daughter and son are in Jabalpur, and his last rites will be performed at Gaurighat Muktidham later in the day, Swami said.