The Exhibit Summary
Lisel Mueller

The Exhibit Summary

"The Exhibit" (contained in Lisel Mueller's collection Second Language [1986]) blends history and mythology to express the lingering grief and denial that still haunt an elderly man who survived being a prisoner of war. Using the unicorn metaphor, the poet shows how the horrible public event of world war has a lasting detrimental effect on private life and how our present lives are determined and shaped by the past. Mueller often writes autobiographical poems...

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