Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (1878?1947) is the preeminent francophone Swiss writer of the twentieth century. Often set in remote Swiss villages, his many novels?enigmatic, mystical, apocalyptic?fascinated Céline, Gide, and Giono. Céline predicted that Ramuz would be among a handful of his contemporaries who were going to be read in the year 2000. He also wrote the libretto for his friend Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale.