Günter Eich (1907 - 1972) was a German author of poetry and plays. In 1968 he published a collection of very short prose pieces, under the title Maulwürfe. These very short pieces of prose, some would in other countries be considered poetry, have no clear topic. They are neither fiction nor essays (although essays might actually be a good denominator). In 1970, a second collection was published, under the title Ein Tibeter in meinem Büro – 49 Maulwürfe. This Suhrkamp edition combines these two publications, together with similar pieces collected from other sources.

Although seemingly insignificant, the Maulwürfe belong to Eich's defining work, and are characteristic of literary trends of the period they were published. ( )