ABSTRACT
This contribution examines how the Flemish author Hugo Claus forged his media image, from his early literary breakthrough in 1948 until right before his death in 2008. Claus’s relationship with the press was twofold. On the one hand, he did not believe in a ‘clear-cut identity’, which in interviews led him to hide behind a game of masquerades. On the other, he gladly and unequivocally communicated his progressive political and social ideas. This chapter pays ample attention to the early years of Claus’s career, including – amongst other episodes – his membership of COBRA and his sojourns in Paris and Rome. It also discusses his complex relationship with the Catholic Church and with confessional newspapers. Finally, it examines the impact of Claus’s public persona on post-war Flanders.
