What literature brings to our times is always the fact that literature refuses to bring any simple or easy answers.

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.

Much of my time is taken up by reading, researching and trying out ideas.

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?"

Paul Beatty for "The Sellout" sounds like a relevant story for our times. It's playful, uses deep thought and seems to be taking advantage of everything literature can do when tackling difficult issues.

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.

I do quite extensive research for most of my novels.