[1] The trivial, petty bourgeois urban environment forms the basis of many of his early realistic novels, whereas his later works turned towards religious and moral issues.

Esther och Alberts äktenskap (1936) was also a success, adapted to screen as Ung man söker sällskap (1954), starring Ulf Palme and Gaby Stenberg.

[6] In the late 1940s, Hammenhög's writing turned from realistic humor towards moral issues as he was struggling with personal alcoholism.

[3] His writing reached a turning point with Torken (1951),[7] a novel about the failure of traditional alcoholic care.

[2] Hammenhög's early commercial success as a productive novelist[5] led to an extravagant lifestyle, and severe alcoholism.