Madrid- Spanish novelist Isaac Montero has died at age 71, press reports said Thursday.

Montero suffered a heart attack in Madrid on Wednesday.

Winner of several awards, the author of novels, essays and short stories was best-known for his novel Ladron de Lunas (Thief of Moons), which earned him the Critics' Prize in 1999.

Montero was known for the social realism of his satiric depictions of Spanish society under 1939-75 dictator Francisco Franco and the subsequent democracy.

Montero was a harsh critic of the exaggerated pragmatism, "lack of inspiration and ethical principles" in modern society, according to an obituary published by the daily El Mundo. (dpa)