Hof der dingen - The Church Chairs of Stijn Streuvels and his wife Alida

How many West Flemish authors do you know who have been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature? Stijn Streuvels was one of them—earning the nomination in 1902 for his work Langs de Wegen.

Stijn Streuvels was in fact Frank Lateur, born in Heule as the son of Kamiel Lateur and Louise Gezelle—yes, the sister of Guido Gezelle. His love of literature came from his mother, whom he once described as a warm woman and a gentle storyteller. He was especially fascinated by her many tales about his uncle Guido, whom he would admire all his life. 

Young Frank attended primary school with the nuns in Heule. Studying wasn’t his cup of tea, and it soon became clear that he would take up a trade. His mother steered him towards baking, hoping that one day the family might take over the bakery of uncles Fik and Sarel Lateur in Avelgem. He did indeed become a baker—but the call of literature proved too strong. 

He began attending the weekly lectures and debates of the Sint-Maartensgilde, a society of former pupils of the Sint-Jan-Berchmans Institute and other intellectuals from the region. He also performed regularly with a local theatre company.

Despite his busy schedule, Lateur would withdraw in a separate room after work to write in silence. In the early years of his literary career, he focused mainly on short stories in a naturalistic style—signing them as Stijn Streuvels. The origin of this pen name is still debated. It may be a reference to the verb streuvelen, meaning to stand up, bristling – like the hairs on a brush. Since Lateur had notoriously unruly hair – it ran in the family- the pseudonym could well have been inspired by that. Others claim the name came from Stien Struyve, a local figure from Heule whom he is said to have known. 

After years of living with his mother, Streuvels decided at the age of 34 that it was time to stand on his own two feet. With his literary career gathering momentum, he felt it was the perfect moment to take on a new challenge. He left the family bakery, determined to write full-time, and began searching for an idyllic home to call his own - where he could work in peace and start a family. 

He had his home Het Lijsternest built on a small hill in Ingooigem. There, he devoted himself to rural life and to writing. Later, he would describe those first months alone in the house as the happiest of his life. Six months after moving in, he married Alida Staelens (1879–1975), the eldest daughter of a prosperous local farmer. Together, they had four children: Paula, Paul, Dina and Isa. 

Frank and Alida had their own church chairs in the parish church of Ingooigem.