Awards

• Long-listed for THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2025 (UK)

Overview

In the woods above Polly Atkin’s home in Grasmere, Cumbria live the tawny owls she calls her neighbours. Each night, they come down to her cottage at dusk, calling out as night falls – in particular a trio of owlets she watches grow from fledglings to young adults in 2023. As the antics of the owl siblings develop – their capacity to play, to bicker, to share and to protect – they encourage her to think differently about some of the big needs of all our lives: solitude and companionship, care and belonging, rest and retreat. The other four species of owls that live wild in Cumbria swoop through the pages, including the day-hunting short-eared owl, but as much as anything they highlight the unusual access Atkin has to the tawny owls of Grasmere. And into the frame step questions about all sorts of relationships, from how we feel when in darkness to our entanglement with the digital world and its ability to connect us across continents. THE COMPANY OF OWLS is a love song to owls – in general, and particular – and a reflection on what makes them, and us, unique and distinctive. It’s a call to find joy in unexpected places and times. It is a lesson in learning to listen – to really listen – in a world full of noise.

Full Product Details

9781783969074

Table of Contents

Reviews

‘A beautiful guide to moving through this world with tender curiosity, joy and reflection’ Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean ‘I will be thinking about the owls and the landscape of this book for a long time to come’ Jessica J. Lee, author of Dispersals ‘I couldn’t put down this warm and comforting, beautiful book’ Ajay Tegala, author of Wetland Diaries ‘The author is fortunate in her proximity to [owls], but this touching, gentle offering shows that, given a humble heart and willingness to stand still in Nature and look and listen, you can get closer to owls than you’d imagine.’ Country Life ‘A poet and writer based in Cumbria, Atkin has long entertained frequent visits from owls to her garden, and sees them as her neighbours. Here, she reveals what they have taught her about life’ iNews ‘An elegiac meditation laced with gems of owl lore’ Saga ‘Beautifully written and densely observant ... There is much food for thought in this wonderful and wholly original book.’ Mail on Sunday  ‘This gorgeous, dusky hymn to [tawny owls] and the other three species of owl that live wild in Cumbria meditates beautifully on what keeping company with these marvellous birds has taught [Polly] about “difference and aloneness and companionship and difficulty”.’ The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice  ‘A love song to these incredible creatures.’ Outdoor Swimmer  ‘Reading this book at bedtime has been a gentle companionable pleasure. I looked forward to spending time with Polly and the owls at the end of each day, savouring each chapter and seeking out the book for as long as I could.’ Moving Mountains  ‘This lovely book isn’t just an introduction to [Polly’s] neighbouring owls, it’s also about our capacity for companionship, understanding our need for peace, and bridging the widening gap between humanity and the natural world around us ... Stimulating and heartening, The Company of Owls is a highly recommended step into the secrets of the tawny owl.’ LoveReading

‘A beautiful guide to moving through this world with tender curiosity, joy and reflection’ Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean ‘I will be thinking about the owls and the landscape of this book for a long time to come’ Jessica J. Lee, author of Dispersals ‘I couldn’t put down this warm and comforting, beautiful book’ Ajay Tegala, author of Wetland Diaries ‘The author is fortunate in her proximity to [owls], but this touching, gentle offering shows that, given a humble heart and willingness to stand still in Nature and look and listen, you can get closer to owls than you’d imagine.’ Country Life ‘A poet and writer based in Cumbria, Atkin has long entertained frequent visits from owls to her garden, and sees them as her neighbours. Here, she reveals what they have taught her about life’ iNews ‘An elegiac meditation laced with gems of owl lore’ Saga

Author Information

Polly Atkin (FRSL) is a poet and nonfiction writer. She has published three poetry pamphlets and two collections – Basic Nest Architecture (Seren: 2017) and Much With Body (Seren: 2021). Her nonfiction includes Recovering Dorothy: The Hidden Life of Dorothy Wordsworth (Saraband: 2021), a Barbellion-longlisted biography of Dorothy’s later life and illness, and a memoir exploring place, belonging and disability, Some Of Us Just Fall: On Nature and Not Getting Better (Sceptre: 2023). She works as a freelancer from her home in the English Lake District. In 2023 she and her partner took ownership of historic Grasmere bookshop Sam Read Bookseller.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available