Madrid - Francisco Ayala, regarded as one of the greatest Spanish writers of the 20th century, died Tuesday in Madrid at the age of 103, Ayala Foundation president Rafael Juarez said.

Ayala was in "relatively good health" until weakened by bronchitis he caught in August, Juarez said.

Born in the southern city of Granada, law and philosophy graduate Ayala went into exile when Francisco Franco became dictator following Spain's 1936-39 civil war.

Ayala subsequently lived and taught at universities in Argentina, Puerto Rico and the United States.

He did not return to Spain definitively until three years after the end of the Franco dictatorship, in 1978, when he settled in Madrid.

Ayala wrote novels, short stories, essays and literary criticism.

Known for his lucid and ironic style, Ayala took an interest in power, its abuse, the individual's relation to society and moral values.

His work was recognized with top Spanish literary awards, including the National Literature Prize in 1983, the Cervantes Prize in 1991 and the Prince of Asturias Prize in 1998.

Ayala's works include Tragicomedia de un Hombre sin Espiritu (Tragicomedy of a Man Without Spirit, 1925), Los Usurpadores (The Usurpers, 1949), La Cabeza del Cordero (The Lamb's Head, 1949), Muertes de Perro (Death as a Way of Life, 1958) and El Jardin de las Delicias (Garden of Delights, 1971).

"I am a man who can only be proud of having done his duty for 100 years," the writer said when all of Spain was marking his 100th birthday.

On receiving the news of Ayala's death, Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde described him as having given "a very important vision" of the 20th century. (dpa)