# Is "The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter)" by Peter Handke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter) by Peter Handke (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1972) is identified by: First English edition, translated by Michael Roloff, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1972 (133 pp.; ISBN 0374163766). True first English edition is the FSG US printing of 1972 (Roloff translation), preceding the UK Methuen edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English edition, translated by Michael Roloff, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1972 (133 pp.; ISBN 0374163766)
- Stated first printing; dust jacket designed by Janet Halverson
- Handke's first work of fiction published in English
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Handke |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English edition, translated by Michael Roloff, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1972 (133 pp.; ISBN 0374163766) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English edition, translated by Michael Roloff, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1972 (133 pp.; ISBN 0374163766). Stated first printing; dust jacket designed by Janet Halverson. Handke's first work of fiction published in English.

## Is this the true first?
True first English edition is the FSG US printing of 1972 (Roloff translation), preceding the UK Methuen edition. German original published as Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter by Suhrkamp, 1970.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later FSG and reprint paperbacks (including FSG Classics) are reprints, not the first; confirm the 1972 FSG hardcover with a stated first printing and the priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter)* by Peter Handke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-goalies-anxiety-at-the-penalty-kick-die-angst-des-torman
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.