Thomas Kling was born in Bingen am Rhein, grew up in Hilden and went to school in Düsseldorf.
He studied philology in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Vienna and lived in Finland for a certain period.
Kling lived with his wife Ute Langanky, a painter, on the museum area of Hombroich (a former rocket station) near Neuss.
He was influenced by authors like Friederike Mayröcker, Ernst Jandl, Paul Celan, Hans Carl Artmann and Konrad Bayer.
Added category tag for membership in the German Academy of Language and Literature