October drapes itself in the hues of umber—earthy, warm, and reflective—inviting us to pause between the fading brilliance of summer and the hush of approaching winter. In this contemplative light, The Wise Owl unfurls its Umber Edition, an issue steeped in the resonances of literature, art, and thought.

​

We are delighted to showcase Ben Markovits, recently shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel The Rest of Our Lives—a work that interrogates memory, time, and the fragile scaffolding of human connections. Alongside, we shine a spotlight on journalist and writer Neera Kashyap, whose book Cracks in the Wall turns its gaze to the fractures and possibilities within contemporary life.

​

This issue is brimming with poetry and stories from voices across the globe—each piece a filament in the web of shared imagination. In our Review Segment, we bring you three remarkable works: Mother Mary Comes to Me by the inimitable Arundhati Roy, who continues to balance activism with lyrical prose; Listen Radhika, Seema Jain’s sensitive translation of Madhav Kaushik’s long poem; and Anju Kishore’s My Conversations with God, Life & Death, an intimate meditation on existence and transcendence.

​

Our Wise Owl Picks turns its discerning eye on books circling the Booker Prize orbit—The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller, Flesh by David Szalay, and Seascraper by Benjamin Wood—works that interrogate the human condition with urgency and grace. On screen, we review the taut Netflix thriller Treason, a meditation on loyalty, betrayal, and the shadows that lie within institutions of power.

​

The Visual Arts segment carries us into worlds of form and imagination: the luminous displays at the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, and the stirring works of Shahzia Sikander, currently exhibited at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University.

​

And as October wanes, we turn our gaze to November with special anticipation: our Anniversary Edition, which will carry a heartfelt tribute to the luminous poet and writer Keki Daruwalla, whose words have carved enduring furrows in Indian literature.

​

Until then, may this Umber Edition keep you company—like autumn’s fading sun—gentle, glowing, and suffused with stories that linger.