Background
His father died when he was 16, but fellow Ørsta native Ivar Aasen helped him get an education: first the teachers" training college in Volda, then examen artium in Oslo.
His father died when he was 16, but fellow Ørsta native Ivar Aasen helped him get an education: first the teachers" training college in Volda, then examen artium in Oslo.
Here Hovden became candidate.theol. in 1886 and then worked some years as a teacher. From 1891 he was a Lutheran Minister in Lista, Son, Sande, Vanse, Krødsherad, Melhus and Østre Toten. Most noted for his hymns, Hovden is the author of over 250 hymns.
He debuted in the mid-1890s with a couple of poetry collections, however, it was in 1897 with his third collection, Tungalda that he received popular acclaim in wider circles.
His breakthrough came in 1901 with the poetry cycle Bonden (The Farmer). Nynorsk salmebok from 1928 of which he was co-editor contained 128 of his hymns.
He was also on the revision board for Landstads kirkesalmebog. Norsk Salmebok contains 23 original hymns by Anders Hovden and 16 translations from nynorsk, one of these being the national hymn "Fagert er landet" ("Fair is the country").
He received government stipend (Statens kunstnerlønn) from 1931 onwards.