Jean-Marie Berckmans

Jean-Marie Henri Berckmans was a Belgian cult writer.
Born in Leopoldsburg, Berckmans was a punk poet who struggled with mental illness. He left Belgium to become a businessman in Italy but he became manic. He then returned to Belgium where he resumed his literary career. His work has been compared with William S. Burroughs and Robert Crumb. Nicknamed Pafke, in reference to his chain-smoking habit, he often wrote about the night and people who lead a nocturnal existence. He died in 2008 due to his alcohol problems.