The Works of Gottfried Keller
On the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890), I would like to propose the works of this Swiss novelist and poet for a reading challenge. Like Fontane, Keller is known as a representative of realism. He is best remembered as an author for novels, novellas and short stories, for example:
- Der grüne Heinrich (1855, revised 1879; English translation, Green Henry by A. M. Holt, 1960): important example of a Bildungsroman;
- Sieben Legenden (English translation, Legends of Long Ago by Charles Hart Handschin, 1911; also available as Seven Legends);
- Die Leute von Seldwyla (English translation: Seldwyla Folks): a collection of novellas which includes "Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe" (turned into an opera by the British composer Frederick Delius: A Village Romeo and Juliet);
- Martin Salander (1886), his last novel.
The Gottfried Keller Foundation in Switzerland was established in 1890. See also Review: The Fanciful Novellas of Gottfried Keller.