Amitav Ghosh’s next book will be locked away for nearly a century and most of us alive today will get to read it.
As per a report by The Guardian, the Indian author has become the 12th writer to contribute to the Future Library project, a century-long literary time capsule in Norway.
Ghosh has been announced as the 12th contributor to the Future Library project, joining the ranks of Margaret Atwood, Han Kang, Ocean Vuong and other celebrated writers who have submitted secret manuscripts to be read a century from now.
His unpublished work will be stored in a specially designed silent room at the Deichman Bjørvika public library in Oslo, alongside other manuscripts that will remain sealed until 2114. At that time, the entire anthology will be printed on paper made from spruce trees planted in the Future Library forest in Nordmarka, Norway, in 2014.
‘A profound honour’
Calling it a “profound honour and a humbling act of trust,” Ghosh said the project encourages thinking beyond one’s lifetime, imagining readers yet to be born.
“It will be an exciting challenge to make a connection between the forests of the far north and those of the tropics, at this time of extreme planetary crisis,” he said, adding that the initiative’s blend of ecology, literature and patience was deeply moving.
Ceremony in 2026
Ghosh will hand over his manuscript in a ceremony at the Future Library forest in May or June 2026, when its title will be revealed.
Other contributors to the century-long literary time capsule include David Mitchell, Elif Shafak, Karl Ove Knausgård, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Valeria Luiselli, Sjón, Judith Schalansky, and Tommy Orange.
An agreement signed in June 2022 ensures the forest remains under the care of the Future Library Trust until the project’s completion.
