Future Library | Katie Paterson, Oslo, 2014–2114

Future Library | Katie Paterson
Oslo, 2014–2114


A forest has been planted in Norway, which will supply paper for a special anthology of books to be printed in 100 years time. Between now and then, one writer every year will contribute a text, with the writings held in trust, unread and unpublished, until the year 2114. The manuscripts will be held in a specially designed room in the new public library, Oslo. Writers to date include Margaret Atwood (2014), David Mitchell (2015), Sjón (2016), Elif Shafak (2017), Han Kang (2018), Karl Ove Knausgård (2019), Ocean Vuong (2020) and Tsitsi Dangarembga (2021). Watch a series of films interviews with the authors, and their Handover ceremonies, above.

The Future Library handover ceremony 2022 will take place on Sunday 12th June in Oslo. This will be a very special event, a milestone for a visionary project: not only will the annual handover take place, but this year three acclaimed authors will be part of the ceremony, which will include the opening of the manuscripts’ resting place, the silent room in the new public library Deichman Bjørvika. The handover has been postponed for two years and therefore in June we will walk together to the Future Library forest with three renowned authors: the Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgård (year 2019), Vietnamese American writer and poet, Ocean Vuong (year 2020) and Zimbabwean novelist, playwright, filmmaker  Tsitsi Dangarembga. The silent room will be home to all of the manuscripts contributed to the project until their eventual publication in the year 2114. The room is designed by artist Katie Paterson and architects Atelier Oslo and Lund Hagem.

www.futurelibrary.no