Lisel Mueller did not publish her first book of poems until she was 41 years old. The first collection, Dependencies, was well-received by critics, although Mueller herself later claimed the poems in it were too decorative and metaphorical. Her second book showed more evidence of the brief, sharp Germanic style she would become both comfortable with and known for. This collection, The Private Life (1976), was a Lamont Poetry Selection of the Academy ofAmerican Poets. Four years later, she published The Need to Hold Still, which was awarded the American Book Award for Poetry in 1981.

During the 1980s, Mueller was also noted for her work in translating the work of German poet Marie Luise Kaschnitz and of German novelist W. Anna Migutsch. These translations forced Mueller into looking very closely at how her proficiency in two languages affected her choice of words in her own writing. Second Language...