As the years went on, he skipped more and more classes and spent increasing amounts of time in cinemas, jazz clubs or pubs.

Between 1949 and 1952 Campert drew cartoons for the Dutch magazine Mandrill and Het Parool and in the 1970s for Haagse Post too.

In order to finance his living, Campert resorted to writing commercial texts or jingles as well as translating foreign literary works.

He explained to journalist Jan Brokken of the Dutch newspaper Haagse Post: "I couldn't write for years on end.

From 1989 until 1995, Campert starred in theatres throughout the nation and beyond in a play he had created together with Jan Mulder (author and ex-football player).

Dutch people of older generations will most likely associate his name with CaMu, the partnership between Remco Campert and Jan Mulder that wrote daily front-page columns for national newspaper 'de Volkskrant' from 1995 until 2006.

These columns traditionally have been bundled into books titled CaMu ....: Het jaaroverzicht van Remco Campert en Jan Mulder at the end of each year.