Andersen was born on 27 September 1866 in
Ringsaker Municipality,
Norway. He was one of ten children born to Christen Andersen (1825–1893) and Antonette Krogvig (1840–1932). His father was a trader and later bailiff. When Andersen was nine years old, the family moved to
Tysnes Municipality in
Hardanger. In 1878, Andersen entered
Bergen Cathedral School. He later attended school in
Hamar and took his student exams in 1885. He attended the
University of Kristiania until 1892 but did not graduate. He subsequently became an office worker in
Hamar. Andersen made his literary debut in 1897 with the historical novel collection
I Cancelliraadens dage, a collection of tales from the early 1800s in the Norwegian
Uplands. It was received with great enthusiasm and earned him an endowment. The book is commonly viewed as a highlight in Andersen's work. It is regarded a pioneer work of its kind and was later analyzed by several literary historians. Among his other works are the poetry collection
Digte from 1898, and the novel
Mod kvæld from 1900. From 1904 to 1919, he published five collections of narratives and novels including
Gamle folk og andre fortællinger (1904),
Bispesønnen og andre fortellinger (1907),
Hjemfærd (1913), and
Fabler og hændelser (1915). Andersen suffered from various health problems. From adolescence, Andersen suffered from melancholy and depression. In later years he was diagnosed with
epilepsy. He died in
Gran Municipality on 10 April 1920. He has been portrayed by painters
Henrik Lund,
Olav Engebrigtsen, and Karl Konow. Sculptor Jens Munthe Svendsen (1869–1957) made a bronze bust of him in 1920.{{cite web ==Personal life==