Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter

The mechanic Josef Bloch, who had previously been a well-known goalkeeper, was informed when he reported to work in the morning that he was being dismissed. In any case, Bloch interpreted the fact that when he appeared at the door of the construction hut, where the workers were currently gathered, only the foreman looked up from his break as a clear indication of this news, and he left the construction site.

In March 1970, the story "The Goalkeeper's Fear at the Penalty" was published in an initial print run of 25,000 copies, and six months later, the print run had doubled. The reception was unanimous: "This story is among the most compelling works written in German in the last ten years." (Karl Heinz Bohrer, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) "To say it upfront: I consider 'The Goalkeeper's Fear at the Penalty' without any reservations to be the best book written in the German language since Thomas Bernhard's 'Disturbance' and 'Ungenach'." (Peter Hamm, Neues Forum).