Princeton students will have the pleasure of reading David Mitchell’s new book, in 2115. The British novelist has been named as the second writer to contribute to Future Library, a public artwork by Scottish artist Katie Paterson that will unfold over the next 100 years. A thousand trees have been planted in Nordmarka, 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 Between now and then, one writer every year will contribute a text, with the writings held in trust, unpublished, until 2114. As a member of the Future Library, Princeton University Library will collect its new books in 100 years.

The first text has been written and delivered by the internationally renowned Canadian author Margaret Atwood, titled Scribbler Moon. David Mitchell will hand over his manuscript at a special ceremony in Norway in 2016. In the meantime, you can read other books by David Mitchell including: Ghostwritten (1999); Number9dream (2001); Cloud Atlas (2004); Black Swan Green (2006); Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (2010); Reason I Jump (2013); and Bone Clocks (2014).

On being invited as the 2015 author David Mitchell commented:

“Civilisation, according to one of those handy Chinese proverbs, is the basking in the shade of trees planted a hundred years ago, trees which the gardener knew would outlive him or her, but which he or she planted anyway for the pleasure of people not yet born. I accepted the Future Library’s invitation to participate because I would like to plant such a tree. The project is a vote of confidence that, despite the catastrophist shadows under which we live, the future will still be a brightish place willing and able to complete an artistic endeavour begun by long-dead people a century ago. Imagine if the Future Library had been conceived in 1914, and a hundred authors from all over the world had written a hundred volumes between 1915 and today, unseen until now – what a human highway through time to be a part of. Contributing and belonging to a narrative arc longer than your own lifespan is good for your soul.”