Franciscus "Frank" Petrus Maria Lateur (3 October 1871 – 15 August 1969), known as Stijn Streuvels (Dutch pronunciation: [stɛin ˈstrøːvəls]), was a Flemish Belgian writer.

Biography

He began writing when he was very young. His uncle, the poet Guido Gezelle, inspired him. Until 1905, he worked as a baker in Avelghem, a village near Kortrijk. At first, his writing appeared in a small magazine called De jonge Vlaming (The young Fleming). Later, editors from another magazine, Van Nu en Straks (From Now and Soon), noticed his work. After meeting Emmanuel de Bom, the editor became his teacher and encouraged him to publish his writing in books.

In 1905, he married Alida Staelens. Together, they had four children: Paula (1906), Paul (1909), Dina (1916), and Isa (1922). In 1980, their home was turned into a museum in his honor.

Streuvels’ writing often focused on the lives of poor farmers in Flanders. His book De Teleurgang van de Waterhoek was adapted into a film called Mira. Other works, De vlaschaard (twice) and De blijde dag, were also made into films.

In 1937 and 1938, Streuvels received most of the votes from the Nobel Committee for the Nobel Prize in Literature. However, the prize was given to others each year: in 1937 to Roger Martin du Gard, and in 1938 to Pearl Buck. He was later awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Leuven, the University of Münster, and the University of Pretoria.