California: Renowned Marxist philosopher and literary theorist Aijaz Ahmad passed away at his home here. He was 81. He was undergoing treatment for illness and left the hospital only a few days back.

He was a visiting professor at various universities in US and Canada. He was working at the University of California in Irvine since 2017. He has worked as an Editorial Consultant at the Indian news magazine Frontline and as a senior news analyst for the Indian website Newsclick.

Aijaz was born in Uttar Pradesh and his parents later migrated to Pakistan following partition. His noted work is ‘In Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures’.

CPM expressed condolences over his death. 'He was a highly respected theorist and his writings in defence of Marxism will inspire generations. He was forced to leave India because of visa restrictions and through his illness and till his death his wish was to be brought home. It is a tragedy that this could not happen,' said another tweet.