These scissors suggest an experimental approach to writing poetry. When she is not writing novels, Herta Müller creates poetry in the form of collage. She cuts out words and phrases from printed texts and arranges them in new combinations and images.
The nail scissors were used when she first began creating her collages. When a travelling cutler came to Müller's neighborhood, she left her scissors with him for sharpening. However, when he returned the scissors, one of the blades was crooked. When her husband tried to bend it back into shape, it broke off. In despair, she began searching for a new pair.
Herta Müller donated the scissors to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2009.
