Design of the eighth banknote series
The 200-franc note
Main colour: Brown
Dimensions: 170 x 74 mm
Date of issue: 1 October 1997
Personality: Charles Ferdinand Ramuz
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Microtext (front)
CHARLES FERDINAND RAMUZ UN DES GRANDS ROMANCIERS DE NOTRE ÉPOQUE RENOUVELLE LA LITTÉRATURE ROMANDE MODERNE - LA LUTTE TRAGIQUE ENTRE L'HOMME ET LES FORCES DE LA NATURE EST AU COEUR DE SON OEUVRE - DANS SON ÉCRITURE IL INNOVE EN RECOURANT À DES TECHNIQUES EMPRUNTÉES À LA PEINTURE ET AU CINÉMA
CHARLES FERDINAND RAMUZ UNO DEI MAGGIORI SCRITTORI NARRATIVI DELLA NOSTRA EPOCA È CONSIDERATO IL CAPOSCUOLA DELLA MODERNA LETTERATURA DELLA SVIZZERA ROMANDA - LA SUA OPERA È INCENTRATA SULLA TRAGICA LOTTA TRA L'UOMO E LE FORZE DELLA NATURA - NEL SUO STILE TROVANO SPAZIO FORME ESPRESSIVE PRESE IN PRESTITO DALLA PITTURA E DAL CINEMA
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Mountain world
The importance of mountains in the work of Ramuz is symbolised by the Diablerets massif. Many of his novels contain dramatic descriptions of mountains as a force of nature, threatening to people. Examples of this may be seen in 'Derborence' ('When the Mountain Fell'), 'La Grande peur dans la montagne' ('Terror on the Mountain'), 'Si le soleil ne revenait pas' and 'Farinet'.
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Lake
The Lavaux area by Lake Geneva, of which Ramuz was a native, stands in contrast to the mountain wilderness. Here, the author unfolds a countryside tamed by human hands, soft and conciliatory. The repetition of the image alludes to Ramuz' modern narrative style, which, like the cinema, uses changes in perspective and narrative leaps to build dramatic tension.
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Manuscript
This handwritten passage in the foreground is from 'Souvenirs sur Igor Strawinsky', published in 1928. Ramuz dedicated this text to his friendship and collaboration with the Russian composer. The most important joint work by the two artists was the melodrama 'L'Histoire du soldat' (1918). The facsimile in the background is taken from the manuscript of the novel 'La Beauté sur la terre' (1927).
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Microtext (back)
CHARLES FERDINAND RAMUZ EINER DER GROSSEN ERZÄHLER UNSERER ZEIT GILT ALS BEGRÜNDER DER MODERNEN LITERATUR DER FRANZÖSISCHEN SCHWEIZ - SEIN WERK ZEIGT DEN MENSCHEN IN DER TRAGISCHEN AUSEINANDERSETZUNG MIT DEN GEWALTEN DER NATUR - IN SEINER SPRACHKUNST FINDEN NEUE DER MALEREI UND DEM FILM ENTLEHNTE AUSDRUCKSFORMEN EINGANG
CHARLES FERDINAND RAMUZ IN DALS GRONDS SCRIPTURS DA NOSS TEMP VALA SCO FUNDATUR DA LA LITTERATURA MODERNA DA LA SVIZRA FRANZOSA - SIA OVRA PRESCHENTA IL CUMBAT TRAGIC TRANTER L'UMAN E LAS FORZAS DA LA NATIRA - SIA LINGUA LITTERARA CUNTEGNA NOVAS FURMAS D'EXPRESSIUN EMPRESTADAS DA LA PICTURA E DAL FILM
Remember this man's picture.
The portrait on the front of the 200-franc note shows Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (1878-1947), one of the major French-speaking Swiss authors of the 20th century. His extensive literary oeuvre includes novels, essays, poetry, theoretical writings and treatises on the music of Igor Stravinsky. Ramuz' work is characterised by a profound commitment to the truth and strict aesthetic standards. At the centre of his writings are people with all their hopes and wishes. Magnificently depicted landscapes serve as the backdrop, in which mountainous regions and lakes have a special place. In formal terms, Ramuz modernised the novel by using new expressive techniques borrowed from painting and the cinema.