Green Henry" is a vivid and absorbing representation of Gottfried Keller's ideals and philosophy, written in poetic language and a realistic style that documents the emergence of an artist and the development of a man. Partly autobiographical, the narrative recounts the experiences of the title character ("green" after the color of clothing he always wears) through confinement and ostracism at boarding school, apprenticeship with a painter in Munich, his divided affection for two women, and the acceptance of his duty toward his country and fellow citizens.

Admired by Nietzsche (who called Keller "the only living German writer") and included by Harold Bloom in "The Western Canon, " "Green Henry" is one of the undisputed masterpieces of world literature.