A number of important French-speaking writers of the 18th and early 19th century were Swiss. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was born in Geneva (which was not at the time part of Switzerland). Germaine de Stael (1766-1817), although born and brought up in Paris, came from a Genevan family, and moved to Switzerland when exiled by Napoleon. Her lover and fellow-author, Benjamin Constant (1767-1830), was born in Lausanne.

In more recent times, French-speaking authors include Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (1878-1947), most of whose novels describe the lives of peasants and mountain dwellers, set in a harsh but beautiful landscape. He is known for his poetical use of language.

Blaise Cendrars (born Frédéric Sauser, 1887-1961) is another well-known French-speaking Swiss writer, although he spent so much time abroad that references to Cendrars and his works often neglect to mention his birthplace. In 1910 he settled in Paris and became a French citizen.