Farinet's Gold

The old man Sage taught Maurice Farinet many things and one of them was the location of a secret vein of gold. After Sage died, Farinet began to make coins. This story commences with Farinet's second escape from prison, hiding from the police in his beloved mountains, aided and abetted by the locals, in particular the waitress Josephine. It was she who smuggled file and rope into prison for him. But the law closes in and Farinet understands he cannot stay an outlaw forever. When a local offical brings him an offer from the government - to turn himself in and serve just six months Farinet has to consider. Based on a true story, Ramuz tells an extraordinary tale of mountains and villages, of independence and the price of freedom.

About the Author
Ramuz, Charles Ferdinand: - Charles Ferdinand Ramuz was a French-speaking Swiss writer. Born and educated in Lausanne, he moved to Paris in 1903 where he first published a collection of poems, 'Le petit village.' At the outbreak of WWI in 1914 he returned to Switzerland and devoted his life to writing which included the libretto for Igor Stravinsky's 'Histoire du Soldat' in 1918. He died near his home town. His image now appears on the 200 Swiss Franc note and his foundation awards the quintannual Grand Prix C.F. Ramuz.Weeks, John: - John Weeks studied French, Russian and Polish as he obtained a bachelor's degree from Amherst College and completed a doctorate in Slavic languages and literatures at the University of California in Berkeley. After spending nine months in Poland on a Fulbright fellowship, he returned to Berkeley to teach a class in beginning Polish, where he met Chris Chinni, his future wife, who had enrolled in the course. Over the years, John has translated numerous documents from Russian and Polish. Farinet's Gold is his first published literary translation.