death_date death_place pseudonym birth_place notableworks name birth_date spouse image article_title birth_name occupation
19 march 2008 antwerp , belgium dorothea van male ; jan hyoens ; thea streiner bruges , belgium '' the sorrow of belgium '' hugo claus 5 april 1929 elly overzier hugo claus.jpg hugo claus
 hugo maurice julien claus playwright director , novelist , poet , painter , film
hugo claus

hugo maurice julien claus -lrb- ; 5 april 1929 -- 19 march 2008 -rrb- was a leading belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms .
claus ' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama , the novel , and poetry ; he also left a legacy as a painter and film director .
he wrote primarily in dutch , although he also wrote some poetry in english .
his death by euthanasia , which is legal in belgium , led to considerable controversy .
