''A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke'' is a 2010

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

Ronald Reng Ronald Reng is a German sports journalist and author. A number of his books have been translated into English, including ''The Keeper of Dreams'', '' A Life too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke'', and ''Matchdays: The Hidden Story of the Bundesli ...

about the

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and Germany

Goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

Robert Enke Robert Enke (24 August 1977 – 10 November 2009) was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Mönchengladbach, Benfica, and Barcelona, but made most of his appearances for Bundesliga side Hannover 96 in his h ...

, who died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

after six years of depression on 10 November 2009.

Synopsis

The book details the life of Robert Enke, particularly focusing on Enke's struggle with depression. Reng also focuses on his friendship with Enke, with whom he was supposed to co-write a biography.

Reception

Critical reception for ''A Life Too Short'' has been positive, with the book receiving the 2011

William Hill Sports Book of the Year The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British sports writing award sponsored by bookmaker William Hill. It was first presented in 1989, and was conceived by Graham Sharpe of William Hill, and John Gaustad, founder of the Sport ...

Award. The Guardian praised ''A Life too Short'' as "eloquent and sensitive", and William Hill co-founder Graham Sharpe stated it was "an outstanding piece of sportswriting".

References

2010 non-fiction books German biographies Association football books William Hill Sports Book of the Year–winning works Random House books {{sport-bio-book-stub