Has two sons; Thomas Pieter Achilles Claus (b. 1963) from his marriage
with Elly Claus, and Arthur Kristel (b. 1975) from his relationship with Sylvia Kristel.
He spent much of his childhood in strict Catholic boarding schools, where he was a rebellious student.
He was an artist, poet, playwright and novelist. His books dealt with repression and hypocrisy in bourgeois society in his native northern Belgium (Flanders).
After World War II, he left home and held menial jobs before his literary talent was recognized.
He had an ambivalent relationship with his native country, and spent time living in the Netherlands, France, and Greece.
[magazine interview in the 1990s] I am a person who is unhappy with things as they stand. We cannot accept the world as it is. Each day we should wake up foaming at the mouth because of the injustice of things.