The text "In the Red Sea" by Sudabeh Mohafez was read at the invitation of Klaus Nüchtern. A musical text, yes or no? This was something which the jury could not agree upon.

Musical text or monotonous rhythms?

Nüchterns plea was appropriately ambitious: "You would have to have the ears of a pig to not appreciate the musicality of this text".

Ijoma Mangold was of a completely different opinion: "They drone somewhat, these rhythms".

The first well concluded short story

First of all, however, Alain Claude Sulzer outed himself as a an "admirer of the fire service". The same thing happened to him as is described in the text when he was rescued from a burning house. He was able to identify with much in this realistic text, even the spontaneous "falling in love" with the fireman. "The first well concluded short story here".

"The right tone" in the language

Daniela Strigl queried the tabloid-esque title of the text, which sounded too "forced", however she felt that the text found its own, rhythmic language for this sparingly instrumented "mixture of extreme situations and everyday life, in which the author maintained the right tone.

"Salacious in a sleazy way"

Ijoma Mangold countered this praise by saying, "The text is salacious in a sleazy way - the fireman with his hose, for example". The images were "played out too vividly, the metaphors too strong" - "It rubs salt into the wounds", was his drastic assessment of the text, which he found to be "cheap".

Spinnen had a number of objections

"Strangely, I found myself falling in love with the attitude of the text - OK, perhaps I'll be dead soon, but look how I can I think", said chairman Spinnen. He could identify with it because three young men once held a pistol to his head. However, he felt the text had to justify itself a little which then became overbearing.

"I'm not comfortable assuming the role of Karl Corino, but you don't take fire victims to a homeless hostel, but rather to a hotel - very risky for such a realistic text," Spinnen added.

März found the construction of the text "suspicious"

"It concerns a fixed idea of an attempt to tell the tale of trauma", said Ursula März. She found the "text construction" with its mechanical repetitions (the word "said" appears ten times on one page) "suspicious", however.

Nüchtern: "It makes you want to tap your feet"

The presenter asked Klaus Nüchtern whether it wasn't time for him to intervene on behalf of the text? "Well, as everybody is making quite a fuss then I will do the same," said Nuechtern, as he outed himself as a "jazz fan" of this "very good reading". You have to listen to the verses, the solos, it makes you want to tap your feet in time!".

The text works with rhythms, hence the repetitions. "This is a long overdue plea for the tenderness of firemen, of course it's love!".

 Sudabeh Mohafez' text