Katie Paterson introduced the project [ Future Library ] to a handful of writers at a very fine international literary festival in Denmark at the Louisiana Museum, I sent her an e-mail when I got back to Iceland, saying, "It's a wonderful project.

All authors secretly hope that their works will be read in 100 years' time and 200 years, and that they will somehow survive into the future.

One thing for sure is it will be written in the Icelandic language. All of my literary work is.

I have seen the universe! It is made of poems!

I'm not one of those writers who writes everyday.

I followed the launch of the library with Margaret Atwood and then David Mitchell. I just sat quietly at home secretly envying them. Then just over a month ago she asked me if I would like to be the third author to join the library.

A great number of tourists have been flocking Iceland and those numbers are growing every year. That also raises questions like "How do we receive people?" and "How do we present our country?"