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Book

The company of owls : a memoir

Call Number

  • 598.97 A873 (CEN, OSH)

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Edition

First US edition.

Publication Information

Minneapolis, Minnesota : Milkweed Editions, 2026.

Physical Description

x, 199 pages ; 22 cm

Summary

"An observant, lyrical memoir exploring what owls can teach us about nature, chronic illness, and ourselves"-- Provided by publisher.

"'Let me tell you about my neighbors, the owls,' writes Polly Atkin in this love letter to the clutch of tawny owlets residing near her home in the heart of England's Lake District. Circumscribed by a chronic illness to her cottage and the surrounding area, she turns to the trees and the animals among them for companionship--especially the owl siblings who surprise and delight her. As Atkin watches them grow from curious fledglings into sleek raptors, she contemplates the act of survival and our place within it. When should a human intervene? When should nature take its course? What do the owls know that we do not? The owls encourage her to think differently about solitude and community, individuality and belonging, rest and retreat. And with them as her companions, she weighs the many types of company we keep--in our relationships, in the darkness, and in our entanglement with the digital world that connects us across continents. A resounding call to find joy in unexpected places, The Company of Owls is a love letter to the world, teaching us to listen amid clamor and noise"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes

First published by Elliot and Thompson Limited, United Kingdom, 2024.

Contents

  • Midsummer owl
  • Owls of Lakeland
  • Owl summer
  • Lockdown owl
  • Uplokkid
  • Uncertain human
  • A short history of owls in Grasmere
  • Learning the owls
  • Onlihede
  • Branching
  • The human who was afraid of the dark
  • Owlets on owlets
  • Burying the owl
  • Co-habitation
  • Branching out early
  • Reclused
  • Owlets! owlets! owlets!
  • Night people
  • Explorers
  • Dispersal
  • Ghostlets
  • Owl eyes
  • Remote owls
  • Connection
  • Protection
  • Listening in three dimensions
  • Passage visitors
  • Home
  • Solnes
  • Day owls on the lonely moor
  • Hope
  • Moss owls
  • Spring.

Subjects