Gottfried Keller (1819 – 1890) – World-famous and at Home in Zurich

Gottfried Keller is remembered as a great author of books such as “Green Henry” and “The People of Seldwyla”. Gottfried Keller was employed as a secretary at the City Hall from 1861 to 1876. One of his favorite pubs was the "Öpfelkammer", Zurich’s oldest tavern, where he still looks down from the wall today with a severe expression.

The Zurich Novellas in 1876/77 were the first works that Keller had published after quitting his job and becoming a freelance author. They are a tribute to the canton and city of Zurich, the history of which is elaborated and poetically presented in five episodes.

The Zurich Central Library is responsible for the literary legacy that Gottfried Keller left to what was then the Zurich City Library in 1890.