▁play w right ▁and ▁short ▁story ▁writer . ▁ ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁major ▁ex ponents ▁of ▁German ▁Expression ism , ▁he ▁especially ▁s ati riz ed ▁the ▁moral ▁sens ib ilities ▁of ▁the ▁emer ging ▁German ▁middle ▁class ▁during ▁the ▁Wilhelm ine ▁period . ▁ ▁Life ▁and ▁career ▁Stern heim ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Leipzig , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁Rosa ▁Marie ▁Flora ▁( née ▁Fran cke ) ▁( 1 8 5 6 - 1 9 0 8 ) ▁and ▁Carl ▁Julius ▁Stern heim ▁( 1 8 5 2 - 1 9 1 8 ), ▁a ▁bank er . ▁His ▁parents ▁married ▁two ▁years ▁after ▁he ▁was ▁born . ▁His ▁father ▁was ▁Jewish ▁and ▁his ▁mother ▁was ▁a ▁Luther an ▁from ▁a ▁working - class ▁family . ▁Stern heim ▁grew ▁up ▁in ▁Hannover ▁and ▁Berlin . ▁ ▁Between ▁ 1 8 9 7 ▁and ▁ 1 9 0 2 , ▁he ▁studied ▁philosophy , ▁psych ology , ▁and ▁juris pr ud ence ▁inter mitt ently ▁at ▁the ▁Univers ities ▁of ▁Mun ich , ▁Gött ingen , ▁and ▁Leipzig , ▁but ▁never ▁graduated . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 0 0 , ▁he ▁began ▁working ▁as ▁a ▁fre el ance ▁writer ▁in ▁We imar , ▁where ▁he ▁met ▁and ▁married ▁his ▁first ▁wife ▁Eugen ie ▁H auth ▁the ▁same ▁year . ▁ ▁Their ▁union ▁ended ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 6 ▁and ▁he ▁married ▁the ▁writer ▁The a ▁Lö wen stein ▁( née ▁B auer ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 7 , ▁with ▁whom ▁he