Nephi Anderson


Christian Nephi Anderson was a prominent Utah novelist and member of the [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]. A prolific writer of the "Home Literature" period of LDS fiction, Anderson published ten novels including the bestselling Added Upon, as well as short stories, poetry, essays, and a History of [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|history of the Church] for young people.

Family and church life

Anderson was born in Christiania, Norway on 22 January 1865. His parents, Christian and Petronella Nielson, had joined the LDS Church only a few years before his birth and in 1871 they emigrated to Utah Territory, United States. They settled first in Coalsville and later in Ogden.
In 1886, Anderson married Asenath Tillotson and began a teaching career in Ogden and Brigham City. From 1891 to 1893, he served a mission for the LDS Church in his birth country of Norway and resumed teaching upon returning. He served as Superintendent of Schools in Box Elder County, Utah, from 1900 to 1903.
Asenath died in January 1904, having borne six children with Nephi.
Just two months after his wife's death, Anderson left on his second mission for the church, this time to Great Britain, where under the direction of Heber J. Grant he became assistant editor of the LDS periodical Millennial Star. Returning to Utah in 1906, Anderson moved his family to Salt Lake City and secured a position as instructor of English and Missionary Studies at Latter-day Saints High School. In 1908, he married Maud Rebecca Symons, with whom he would have six more children.
After a short mission which involved his whole family moving to Independence, Missouri, and an assignment there as editor of another LDS periodical, The Liahona, Anderson was asked to come back to Utah and begin working as an editor and librarian with the Genealogical Society of Utah, replacing Joseph Fielding Smith, who had been called to the church's general leadership. In January, 1923, Anderson developed appendicitis and died on January 6 after an operation for the malady when he developed peritonitis. Speakers at his funeral included Heber J. Grant, George Albert Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, John A. Widtsoe, Anthony W. Ivins, Rudger Clawson, and several other prominent LDS leaders of the period.

Literary career

In a piece in The Improvement Era entitled "A Plea for Fiction", Anderson wrote of the Mormon experience—"What a field is here for the pen of the novelist." Although he is well known for his particular style of early LDS fiction, his first published book was the non-fiction title, A Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the early 1890s, Anderson began submitting short works to The Contributor.
He published his most recognized work, the novel Added Upon, in 1898, to wide acclaim and popularity. At his death, a local newspaper exclaimed that Added Upon had "been read by almost every person in ." During the last three decades of his life, Anderson would write ten novels and numerous short stories, all involving LDS characters and storyline.

Publications

Novels

  • '
  • *The first and most popular novel written by Anderson. Originally published in 1898 by Deseret News Publishing Company and significantly enlarged and expanded in its fifth edition, the book has never been out of print. The story concerns several spirit children of God who move from the pre-existence, to mortal life, to their eternal reward, interacting with each other at each step. The novel influenced many subsequent Mormon works of literature, notably Saturday's Warrior.
  • - serialized in the Improvement Era 1901-1902 and published as a novel in 1909.
  • serialized in the Improvement Era 1907-1908 published as a novel in 1919
  • '
  • *A critical edition with scholarly notes, commentary, and analysis edited by Eric W. Jepson was published by Peculiar Pages in 2015. It received the Special Award for Scholarly Publishing and was a finalist for the Criticism Award at the 2016 Association for Mormon Letters conference.

    Novellas

  • Almina published serially in The Contributor from November 1891 through May 1892
  • Beyond Arsareth published serially in Relief Society Magazine" from October 1919 through July 1920

    Non-fiction

  • "A Plea for Fiction" January 1889 Improvement Era
  • September 1889 The Contributor
  • August 1890 The Contributor
  • "Beyond the Arctic Circle" published serially in The Contributor November 1894-May 1895
  • August 1896 The Contributor
  • September 1896 The Contributor
  • "Purpose in Fiction" February 1898 Improvement Era
  • July 1898 Improvement Era
  • March 1899 Improvement Era
  • June 1899 Improvement Era
  • November 1899 Improvement Era
  • July 1900 Improvement Era
  • October 1900 Improvement Era
  • September 1904 Young Woman's Journal
  • "The Leavening of the Lump" March 30, 1905 Millennial Star
  • June 1905 Improvement Era
  • "Evidences of Immortality" November 30, 1905 Millennial Star
  • "The Sword Without; Yet Peace Within" June 21, 1906 Millennial Star
  • "That They Might Have Joy" July 5, 1906 Millennial Star
  • October 9, 1909
  • December 25, 1909 Liahona
  • February 19, 1910 Liahona
  • "Giving and Getting" February 17, 1910 Millennial Star
  • March 5, 1910 Liahona
  • March 19, 1910 Liahona
  • October 18, 1910 Liahona
  • November 1910 Improvement Era
  • A Scrapbook of Mormon Literature, Vol. 1
  • January 3, 1911 Liahona
  • January 3, 1911 Liahona
  • May 1911 Improvement Era
  • September 1911 Improvement Era
  • November 5, 1912 Liahona
  • April 9, 1912 Liahona
  • May 21, 1912 Liahona
  • January 7, 1913 Liahona
  • February 18, 1913 Liahona
  • July 1913 Improvement Era
  • August 19, 1913 Liahona
  • August 1913 Improvement Era
  • "The 'Larger Hope' for the Dead" December 18, 1913 Millennial Star
  • August 1919 ''Improvement Era''

    Short stories

  • January 1890 The Contributor
  • May 1890 The Contributor
  • "Mary, A Story of Sagebrush Bench" and November–December 1890 The Contributor
  • January 1894 The Contributor
  • March 1894 The Contributor
  • July 1894 The Contributor
  • September 1, 1894 The Juvenile Instructor
  • "Cat-tail Farm" December 1 and 15 1894 The Juvenile Instructor
  • "For the Salvation of Souls" March and April 1900 Improvement Era
  • "Finding of Olga: A Pioneer Story" February and March 1901 Improvement Era
  • Fisherman Knute's Christmas Gift November–December 1903 Improvement Era
  • December 1904 Improvement Era
  • January 26, 1905 Millennial Star
  • June 22, 1905 Millennial Star
  • July 12, 1906 Millennial Star
  • December 14, 1905 Millennial Star
  • April 1906 Improvement Era
  • August 10, 1907 Liahona
  • August 1907 Improvement Era
  • August 1907 Young Woman's Journal
  • September 1907 Improvement Era
  • October 1, 1907 The Juvenile Instructor
  • October 15, 1907 The Juvenile Instructor
  • November 1, 1907 The Juvenile Instructor
  • December 1909 Improvement Era
  • December 25, 1909 Liahona
  • June 1910 Improvement Era
  • " October 1910 Improvement Era
  • February 1910 Improvement Era
  • March 1911 Improvement Era
  • "John Engleman and the Spirit of Christmas' December 1911– January 1912 of Improvement Era
  • January 1915 Improvement Era
  • "The Silent Protest" April–May 1916 "The Juvenile Instructor"
  • May 1915 Improvement Era - winner of the February Improvement Era Prize
  • June 1915 Young Woman's Journal
  • September 1915 Relief Society Magazine
  • July 1916 Relief Society Magazine
  • June 1916 Improvement Era
  • October 1916 The Juvenile Instructor
  • December 1916 The Juvenile Instructor
  • November 1917 Improvement Era
  • "Tendrilla" September and October 1917 Improvement Era
  • February 1918 Relief Society Magazine
  • April 1918 Improvement Era
  • May 1918 Relief Society Magazine
  • July 1918
  • December 1918 Relief Society Magazine
  • February 1919 The Juvenile Instructor
  • October 1921 Improvement Era
  • "Distance Lends Enchantment" October 1922 Improvement Era
  • October 1922 Improvement Era
  • January 1923 Improvement Era
  • "The Dimmed Vision" ''Deseret Book''

    Poetry

  • December 1895 The Contributor
  • December 1900 Improvement Era
  • April 1901 Improvement Era
  • February 1901 Improvement Era
  • September 1904 Improvement Era
  • October 1906 Improvement Era
  • February 1912 ''Improvement Era''