Stach was born in
Rochlitz,
Saxony. At age 17, he left home due to familial conflicts. He studied philosophy, literature, and mathematics at the
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in
Frankfurt am Main. Stach graduated in 1985 with a PhD. His dissertation was titled
Kafkas erotischer Mythos. Eine ästhetische Konstruktion des Weiblichen (Kafka's erotic myth. An aesthetic construction of femininity). ==Career==