His father, Stefan George, was a wine trader and innkeeper, while his mother, Eva (née Schmitt), was a housewife. His education was completed successfully in 1888, after which he spent time in London and Paris, where he was among the intellectuals and artists who frequented the poet Stephane Mallarme's Tuesday soirees. Returning to Germany, he worked as an editor for a newspaper and published several books of poetry, but had little success with them. During this time, he met Anna Kallina, with whom he had three children. She died when their first child, a son, also named Stefan, was only four years old. After this loss, George decided to devote himself fully to writing and left his job. In 1894, he married again, this time to Hedwig Mutschmann, another young woman from a well-off family. They had two more children together before divorcing in 1907. In 1908, he married for the third time, this time to Elfriede Petry, a young widow with two small children. They had one more child together before separating in 1924. After this last marriage ended in divorce, George returned to his first wife, Anna Kallina. They had a daughter together before her death in 1930 at the age of 29. George was an influential figure in German literature during the early twentieth century. His work was revolutionary because it broke away from traditional forms and experimented with new ways of expressing thoughts and feelings.