 He got The Great Nordic Novel Prize (Stora Nordiska Romanpriset) for "En man och hans samvete" (A Fool of Faith), a book about the Finnish Civil War, published in 1931.Inwardly troubled, he experienced several religious crises and alcoholism and finally committed suicide.Following the murder of Kaj Munk on 4 January 1944 the Danish resistance newspaper De frie Danske brought condemning reactions from influential Scandinavians, including Hemmer.