The Future Library Project

[Kylie]

I just read a really interesting article about an artist who is going to get 100 notable authors over the next 100 years (1 per year) to write a short story or novel 'on the theme of imagination and time'. The stories will only be published in 2115, and they will be printed using paper that will be harvested from a forest of 1,000 trees that are being planted in Norway specifically for this project. The first author to be chosen is Margaret Atwood.

 

What do you all think of this project? It's an intriguing idea, but I hate the thought of stories by our favourite authors being tucked away to be enjoyed by future generations who might not be able to appreciate them the way we would.

[Athena]

I agree with you. It's  certainly an intriguing idea and I like how they plant the trees specifically for it. But it is a shame that we'll (most likely, at least) never get to read the stories. I'd have preferred it if we had at least the option to buy the stories to read them. It's interesting to think how several generations into the future people will perceive the stories and literature in general, and the idea is neat but I do wish they'd let us nowaday readers read the stories too.

[Kylie]

Athena, maybe we should have ourselves cryogenically frozen! Then they can wake us up in 100 years and we can read the books. Ooh, but then we'll have 100 years of reading to catch up on. Good grief!

[Anna Begins]

Athena, maybe we should have ourselves cryogenically frozen! Then they can wake us up in 100 years and we can read the books. Ooh, but then we'll have 100 years of reading to catch up on. Good grief!

Margaret Atwood?? Ugh.  I wonder who else has been selected.  And the part about the authors that haven't been born yet is cool. 

I like her quote, "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. And why would I believe them anyway?" 

I also like She predicted that the readers of 2114 might need "a paleo-anthropologist to translate some of it for them", because "language of course will have changed over those 100 years. Maybe not so much as it changed between say 1400 and now, but it will have changed somewhat".

Interesting.  And the story she told of the Haida language- I think I just gained some respect for Atwood.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Anna Begins

[itsmeagain]

Interesting idea. Hoping it works out and comes to full fruition.

[Weave]

I would have liked to have read them too but hey ho

[KseniyaMalakhova]

Really nice news! As there is hope that we will not become robots and life will not be changed 360 degrees and people will read paper (!) books in 100 years as well. Or maybe paper books will become an exclusive '' device'' . Who knows?!  interesting project! 

Edited October 11, 2014 by Michelle
link removed

[Kylie]

I just read an article about this project and remembered that I had previously discussed it here. Two and a bit years on, I still find it a very intriguing project! (See the first post in this thread if you have no idea what I'm talking about.)  

 

This article explains more about it from David Mitchell's point of view (he's been chosen as the second author in the project).

 

And here's a link to the website of the Future Library. It discusses the project and has interesting video interviews with Atwood and Mitchell.

[vodkafan]

If the writer is Ali Smith  they might not understand her book right away, let alone in 100 years....