Belgian writer took on social injustice
Hugo Claus, 78, an artist, poet, playwright and novelist whose books painted a scathing picture of repression and hypocrisy in bourgeois Flanders, died Wednesday by euthanasia at a hospital in Antwerp, Belgium, his wife said. He was 78.
Claus, who had Alzheimer’s disease, died at Middelheim Hospital. “He himself picked the moment of his death and asked for euthanasia,” not wanting to extend his suffering, his wife, Veerle De Wit, said in a statement.
De Wit did not say how the euthanasia, which is legal in Belgium, was carried out.
Claus produced about 200 works during his career but was best known for his classic “The Sorrow of Belgium” -- a scathing attack on social injustice, stifling family relationships and Roman Catholic repression in his native Flanders in northern Belgium.
The partly autobiographical work defined his career and shot him to prominence on the international scene.
Claus also directed several movies and belonged to the Cobra group of painters, centering on spontaneous, intuitive work.
He was married several times, including to actress Sylvia Kristel, star of the 1970s erotic movie series “Emmanuelle.”
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