Stijn Streuvels

Stijn Streuvels (born Oct. 3, 1871, Heule, near Kortrijk, Belg.—died Aug. 15, 1969, Ingooigem, near Kortrijk) was a Belgian novelist and short-story writer whose works are among the masterpieces of Flemish prose.

The nephew of the priest and poet Guido Gezelle, Streuvels discovered his literary gifts while at school at Avelgem in West Flanders. A master baker for 15 years, he learned German, English, Danish, and some Russian, and he began writing after 1892. He contributed to the periodical Van nu en straks (“Of Now and Later”) and in 1899 achieved fame with his first collection of stories, Lenteleven (The Path of Life). In 1905 he settled in the village of Ingooigem and devoted himself entirely to writing.

Streuvels found his subjects in the village life of southwestern Flanders—an isolated and agrarian lifestyle that no longer exists. Although he defined his chosen locality by precise reference to dialect and folklore, he was no mere chronicler. His keen powers of observation were enhanced by a rich imagination, a feeling for atmosphere, and a broad command of language. He created a world in which nature is a primeval force, and he described that force with a visionary power resembling that of the painter van Gogh. At his best he was a master of characterization, especially in his presentation of farmers and farm workers who obstinately struggle against the land and against destiny, as in Langs de wegen (1902; The Long Road) and his masterpiece, De vlaschaard (1907; The Flaxfield). His epic but lyrical prose style, perfectly suited to his subject, is among the best of its period.

Streuvels’s complete works (Volledig werk), edited by A. Demedts et al., were published in four volumes (1971–73).