Green Henry

Gottfried Keller · 1819–1890 · Switzerland

Originally Der grüne Heinrich (German)

Why it matters

A failed painter looks back on his provincial upbringing, artistic ambitions, and slow disillusionment. Swiss realism's great Bildungsroman, generous toward its hero's failures in a way few coming-of-age novels manage.

At a glance

Leisurely nineteenth-century retrospection with long digressive stretches.