Lisel Mueller (February 8, 1924)
an American poet.
She was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1924 and immigrated to America at the age of 15. Her father, Fritz Neumann, was a professor at Evansville College. Her mother died in 1953. "Though my family landed in the Midwest, we lived in urban or suburban environments," she once wrote. She and her husband, Paul Mueller (d. 2001) built a home in Lake Forest, Illinois in the 1960s, where they raised two daughters and lived for many years. Mueller currently resides in a retirement community in Chicago. Her poems are extremely accessible, yet intricate and layered. While at times whimsical and possessing a sly humor, there is an underlying sadness in much of her work. ... more »
Click here to add this poet to your My Favorite Poets.
Popular Poems
- A Day Like Any Other
- Alive Together
- Another Version
- Bedtime Story
- Blood Oranges
- Curriculum Vitae
- Five For Country Music
- For A Thirteenth Birthday
- Immortality
- Monet Refuses The Operation
- Moon Fishing
- Reading The Brothers Grimm To Jenny
- Scenic Route
- The Laughter Of Women
Quotations
more quotations »-
I want to celebrate these elms which have been spared by the plague, these survivors of a once flourishing tribe commemorated by all the Elm Streets in America. But to celebrate them is to be silent a...
Lisel Mueller (b. 1924), U.S. poet; born in Germany. Triage, sentences 3-5 (1989).

Loved Monet Refuses The Operation...a wonderful enchanted walk in the heart and mind....: -)
Thanks for sending me one of her poems. I'm only discovering her today and mean to keep on reading her from now on. Loved what I've read so far. Subtle, moving, wise.High quality literature.