Born in Tanta, Egypt in 1962, Tawfik was one of the most influential writers in the Arab world He wrote more than 500 books, on top of his other duties as a doctor and a professor A renowned Egyptian novelist, known for his contributions to Arab horror, Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, is the focus of Monday’s Google Doodle, for what would’ve been his 57th birthday. Born in Tanta, Egypt in 1962, Tawfik was one of the most influential writers in the Arab world, particularly in the horror and science fiction genres. He wrote more than 500 books, on top of his other duties as a doctor and a professor. He attended medical school and later earned a PhD in tropical diseases and became a professor at Tanta University. But being a writer seemed to be instinctive for Tawfik, who grew up in a house full of books, and had access to quality literature by Somerset Maugham, Mark Twain, and Tolstoy, whom he drew influences from. He started writing his own adventure stories at the age of 10. The Google Doodle also featured iconic characters from Tawfik’s books, including Refaat Ismael, the main chacter of “Ma Waraa Al Tabiaa,” a horror/thriller series of 81 novels that is slated to be a Netflix TV show. Tawfik died of cardiac arrest at the El Demerdash Hospital in Cairo on April 2, 2018.