Kunert was born in 1929 in Berlin, a "mischling". He lived and wrote in East Berlin for many years until his move to Kaisborstel in the Federal Republic in 1981. His reason for the move: "I could no longer write there" The works are from eight collections of his poetry and prose.
From the title page: “poems and prose selected and translated by Agnes Stein”
Sigh. Not much more to recommend it than most 20th century American poetry. At least its subjects escape the solipsism too common to American verse, but the only poems that really caught me were those based in Greek myths.