Question: Who wrote the novel from which the 2015 British romantic drama was adapted where Matthias Schoenaerts plays Gabriel Oak?

Context paragraphs:
The Loft (film): The Loft is a 2014 American-Belgian erotic thriller mystery film directed by Erik Van Looy.  It is a remake of the 2008 Dutch-language Belgian film "Loft", which was also directed by Van Looy.  The screenplay was written by Wesley Strick, adapted from the original script by Bart De Pauw.  Starring Karl Urban, James Marsden and Wentworth Miller, it also features Matthias Schoenaerts who reprises his role from the original film.

The Drop (film): The Drop is a 2014 American crime drama film directed by Michaël R. Roskam, from a screenplay written by Dennis Lehane.  The film is based on Lehane's 2009 short story "Animal Rescue".  Lehane also adapted the script into a 2014 novel of the same name.  The film stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and James Gandolfini, with Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz and James Frecheville in supporting roles.  It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released theatrically on September 12, 2014.

A Bigger Splash (film): A Bigger Splash is a 2015 English-language Italian-French psychological thriller drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Alain Page and David Kajganich, based on the film "La Piscine".  The film stars Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson.  The film was named after David Hockney's 1967 painting of the same title.  It competed for the Golden Lion at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.

Our Souls at Night (film): Our Souls at Night is a 2017 American drama film directed by Ritesh Batra and written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.  It is based on the novel of same name by Kent Haruf.  The film stars Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Judy Greer.  It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2017.  It was released on September 29, 2017 by Netflix.

Kursk (film): Kursk is an upcoming English-language French-Belgian drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg based on Robert Moore’s book "A Time to Die", about the true story of the 2000 Kursk submarine disaster.  It stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Colin Firth, Léa Seydoux, Peter Simonischek, Max von Sydow, Matthias Schweighöfer and Michael Nyqvist (in his final film role).

Rust and Bone: Rust and Bone (French: De rouille et d'os ) is a 2012 French–Belgian romantic drama film directed by Jacques Audiard, starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, based on Craig Davidson's short story collection of the same name.  It tells the story of an unemployed 25-year-old man who falls in love with a woman who trains killer whales.

Matthias Schoenaerts: Matthias Schoenaerts (] ; born 8 December 1977) is a Belgian Flemish actor, film producer and graffiti artist.  He made his film debut at the age of 13 in "Daens" (1992), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.  He is best known for his roles as Filip in "Loft" (2008), Jacky Vanmarsenille in the Oscar-nominated "Bullhead" (2011), Ali in the BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominee "Rust and Bone" (2012), for which he won the César Award for Most Promising Actor, Eric Deeds in "The Drop" (2014), Bruno von Falk in "Suite Française" (2015), Gabriel Oak in "Far from the Madding Crowd" (2015) and Hans Axgil in "The Danish Girl" (2015).  Schoenaerts received critical acclaim for his portrayal of an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD in "Disorder" (2015).

Suite Française (film): Suite Française is a 2015 British-French-Belgian romantic World War II drama film directed by Saul Dibb and co-written with Matt Charman.  It is based on the second part of Irène Némirovsky's 2004 novel of the same name.  The film stars Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sam Riley, Ruth Wilson, Lambert Wilson and Margot Robbie.  It concerns a romance between a French villager and a German soldier during the early years of the German occupation of France.  "Suite Française" was filmed on location in France and Belgium.  It was released theatrically in the UK on 13 March 2015 and will premiere in the US through Lifetime cable network on 22 May 2017.

The Danish Girl (film): The Danish Girl is a 2015 romantic drama film directed by Tom Hooper, based on the 2000 fictional novel of the same name by David Ebershoff and loosely inspired by the lives of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener.  The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, Alicia Vikander as Wegener and Sebastian Koch as Kurt Warnekros, with Ben Whishaw, Amber Heard and Matthias Schoenaerts in supporting roles.

Far from the Madding Crowd (2015 film): Far from the Madding Crowd is a 2015 British romantic drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge and Juno Temple.  It is an adaptation of the 1874 novel of the same name by Thomas Hardy, the fourth time this novel has been filmed.

Supporting paragraphs: Matthias Schoenaerts Far from the Madding Crowd (2015 film)
Answer: Thomas Hardy