Claus, Hugo: - Hugo Claus (1929-2008) received more prizes and awards than any contemporary writer in Dutch or Flemish; he was the recipient of seven state prizes in Belgium, the Prize for Dutch Literature, and the Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding for his body of work. Born in Bruges in 1929, he is the author of the novels Wonder, Desire, The Swordfish, Mild Destruction, Rumors, and The Duck Hunt, in addition to The Sorrow of Belgium, his magnum opus of postwar Europe. He has published several volumes of poetry and many plays. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages.