"Märchen" by Hermann Hesse is a collection of 22 fairy tales written between 1904 and 1933. Hesse transforms traditional European fairy tales into contemporary stories infused with Eastern mysticism. Written partly during World War I, the tales reflect his pacifist views and explore mortality, war's devastation, and the isolated artist as witness and critic. The stories confront what Hesse saw as modern menaces: science, materialism, war, alienation, and philistinism. Heroes search for self-knowledge and inner peace in narratives praised for their unusual, captivating quality.