The good news: Margaret Atwood has a new novel on the way. The bad news: You’ll probably never get a chance to read it. The Man Booker prize-winning novelist will release her new novel in one hundred years.
That isn’t a joke. Atwood’s new novel will be released in 2114. It’s the first book to be submitted to “The Future Library” project.
Atwood said: “It is the kind of thing you either immediately say yes or no to. You don’t think about it for very long … I think it goes right back to that phase of our childhood when we used to bury little things in the backyard, hoping that someone would dig them up, long in the future, and say, ‘How interesting, this rusty old piece of tin, this little sack of marbles is. I wonder who put it there?'”
The Future Library was conceived by Scottish artist Katie Paterson. According to the Guardian, Paterson will collect one book a year from various authors for the next 100 years. When 2114 arrives, the Future Library will print the books and make them available to the public.
Patterson said: “For some writers I think it could be an incredible freedom – they can write whatever they like … from a short story to a novel, in any language and any context … We’re just asking that it be on the theme of imagination and time, which they can take in so many directions. I think it’s important that the writing reflects maybe something of this moment in time, so when future readers open the book, they will have some kind of reflection of how we were living in this moment.”
Paterson has already started working on the project. She planted 1000 trees in Nordmarka, just outside of Oslo, this summer and plans to cut them down in 2114 to publish the books.
Atwood, Atwood fans, and Patterson probably won’t be around to see the completed library, but that doesn’t bother the author.
Atwood said: “What a pleasure … You don’t have to be around for the part when if it’s a good review the publisher takes credit for it and if it’s a bad review it’s all your fault.”
[Image Via Wikipedia]
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