1912–1919
Upheavel in Hesse's life

«Wise is the man who knows darkness…»

1912

Hesse moves together with his family to Bern. Hermann and Mia make friends with many local artists.

1913

He publishes a travel book Aus Indien [From India]. Trip to Northern Italy with Othmar Schoeck and Fritz Widmann.
Problems in Hermann's marriage with Maria continue increasing.

1914

Novel Rossalde is published.
In April Hesse sets out on his last grand trip to Northern Italy. At the beginning of World War I, Hesse volunteers in Germany but is considered unfit for service. Upset by the reality of the war, Hesse very soon becomes an opponent of the war and a pacifist. His first article against the war appears in November 1914, followed by numerous political essays and articles.

1915–1919

Hesse is assigned to service involving the care of German prisoners of war in France, England, Russia and Italy, providing them with books. He becomes publisher of numerous magazines for prisoners and establishes his own publishing house in 1917, where 22 booklets, written in his own handwriting, will be published by 1919.

1915

Numerous short stories appear: Knulp, Am Weg, Schön ist die Jugend.

1916

The death of his father and a serious illness of his youngest son lead to Hesse's nervous breakdown.

April – September

Hesse receives a psychotherapy and begins painting.

1917

In order to protect his activity with the prisoners of war, Hesse publishes his anti-war essays using the nom de plume Emil Sinclair.

1918

Hermann and Mia decide by mutual consent to separate. After a short while, Mia has a severe outbreak of psychosis.

1919

His essay Zarathustras Wiederkehr. Ein Wort an die deutsche Jugend von einem Deutschen [The return of Zarathustra. A word from a German to the German Youth] is published anonymously. Hesse moves to Ticino. The children are assigned to friends. Mia is recovered in a psychiatric clinic. She also spends part of her life in Ticino on her own.
The novel Demian appears in June under the nom de plume Emil Sinclair.