"I insist on being Belgian . . . I want to be a member of the pariah nationality, the laughing stock of the French and an object of ridicule for the Dutch. It's the ideal situation for a writer." Despite his scathing criticism of Belgium, Claus received warm tributes from both the Flemish and francophone communities following his death.

"In his works he gave us a mirror on our lives," said former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who was a close friend. "Certainly a hard image, often unpitying, which helped us understand who we really were."