Future Library: Oslo's Century-Long Literary Time Capsule

The Future Library (Framtidsbiblioteket), an art initiative by artist Katie Paterson, began in 2014 in Oslo, Norway, and will span a century. Annually, until 2114, a new manuscript from an international author is added to the collection, though these texts will remain unread until the project's conclusion. Housed in the Silent Room—a curved, wood-paneled area on the ground floor of the Oslo Public Library—the manuscripts are displayed in glass drawers resembling religious relics. The paper for these books comes from spruce trees planted in the Nordmarka forest specifically for this endeavor. Notable contributors include Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell, and Han Kang, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. The project highlights a trust between generations, as writers craft works for future audiences.