“A book, too, can be a star, explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.”
– Madeleine L’Engle
Madeleine L’Engle
1918-2007
Beloved Author of A Wrinkle in Time and More Than Sixty Books That Inspire Wonder, Faith, and Courage
Madeleine L’Engle was one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century, best known for her groundbreaking young adult fantasy A Wrinkle in Time (1962), which won the Newbery Medal and has enchanted generations with its blend of science, adventure, and profound questions about good, evil, love, and the universe. Born November 29, 1918, in New York City to artistic parents—her father a journalist and playwright, her mother a pianist—she grew up surrounded by creativity and storytelling.
Over a remarkable career, she authored more than sixty books across genres: children’s and young adult fiction, adult novels, poetry, memoirs, essays, and reflections on faith. Works like the Time Quintet, the Crosswicks Journals, and titles such as A Circle of Quiet and Walking on Water reveal her unique voice—imaginative, deeply spiritual, and unafraid to explore life’s big mysteries.
For nearly three decades, she served as librarian and writer-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where she welcomed readers, thinkers, and seekers. Madeleine’s legacy endures through her words that continue to challenge, comfort, and ignite curiosity. She passed away on September 6, 2007. Her stories remain timeless.
Her manuscripts, letters, and other archival materials are housed at Smith College in Massachusetts and Wheaton College in Illinois.
Obituary from The New York Times.
A Portrait of the Award-Winning Author of “A Wrinkle in Time”
In this Intimate portrait Madeleine L’Engle interacts with her family and students, preaches at St. John the Divine and shares her philosophy of life and experiences as a writer. Filmed in her homes in New York City and Connecticut, the film allows us to see L’Engle’s world and experience her vision.
Books About Madeleine L’Engle’s Life
A Biographical Sketch by Abigail Santamaria
One hundred years ago, in the pre-dawn hours of November 29, 1918, Madeleine L’Engle’s mother hastily scrawled this letter to her husband, a lieutenant stationed in France: “Dearest Husband, My labor has come. I am going now to the hospital. How I long for you.”
Later that day, she gave birth to the child for whom she had yearned for 11 years, a baby girl who would grow up to become one of the most beloved American authors of the 20th century.
Madeleine’s earliest and most formative memory was being awakened from sleep and carried out to the beach on a clear, cloudless night. The expansive dark sky, the bright stars, and the sound of the waves offered a glimpse of glory, a revelation of creation and its bounty. This first glimpse of the enormity and depth of the universe would contribute to Madeleine’s understanding that science and God are not at odds — a radical and, to some, even blasphemous assertion that would appear as a theme in several of her novels, including Camilla and A Wrinkle in Time. Read more…
Stories from the Blog
A Next Door Neighbor Remembers the Franklins #3
A Tour of the Tower, Part One by J. Tomas Allison Every writer needs a designated sanctuary separate from the hurly burley. For Madeleine in Goshen it had been the old pantry as Read more...
A Next Door Neighbor Remembers the Franklins #2
by J. Thomas Allison The Franklin household in early 1950s also included a toddler girl and a boy on the way. Finding a time to write might have been a problem, but not for Madeleine. Read more...
A Next Door Neighbor Remembers the Franklins #1
by J. Thomas Allison I grew up next door to the Franklin family from 1952 until 1978. Hugh and Madeleine bought their house, Crosswicks, the year my parents bought acreage north of them. My parents Read more...
Selected Articles & Interviews
- 5/5/25: The Boston Globe: Opinion: When Madeleine L’Engle discovered America’s national parks
- March 2021: Vanity Fair: Dear Mrs. L’Engle
- 4/21/20: The New York Times: In a New Collection of Old Stories, Madeleine L’Engle Is Back
- 11/25/18: Los Angeles Times: Madeleine L’Engle’s midcentury version of ‘she persisted’
- 4/17/15: The Wall Street Journal: A_New_‘Wrinkle_in_Time’_WSJ
- 3/5/12: NPR All Things Considered: An Unlikely Best-Seller: “A Wrinkle in Time” turns 50
- 1/27/12: The New York Times: “A Wrinkle in Time” and its Sci-Fi Heroine
- 12/8/11: Publishers Weekly: Macmillan to Mark 50th Anniversary of ‘A Wrinkle in Time’
- 1996: Mars Hill Review: A Conversation with Madeleine L’Engle
- 6/8/79: Christianity Today: Allegorical Fantasy: Mortal Dealings with Cosmic Questions: An Interview with Madeleine L’Engle
- 1991: FrugalFun.com: Faith During Adversity: An Interview with Madeleine L’Engle
- Date Unknown: Scholastic: An Interview with Madeleine L’Engle
Awards
- 1963: A Wrinkle in Time – John Newbery Medal
- 1964: A Wrinkle in Time – runner-up, Hans Christian Andersen Award
- 1965: A Wrinkle in Time – Sequoyah Award
- 1965: A Wrinkle in Time – Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
- 1969: The Moon By Night – Austrian State Literary Prize
- 1971: Camilla – Austrian State Literary Prize
- 1974: New England Round Table of Children’s Literature Honor Certificate
- 1978: A Wind in the Door – Learning A-V Award
- 1978: The Irrational Season – Seabury Lenten Selection for 1978
- 1979: The Weather of the Heart – National Religious Book Award
- 1980: A Ring of Endless Light – a Newbery Honor Book
- 1980: A Swiftly Tilting Planet – American book Award
- 1980: Ladder of Angels – National Religious Book Award
- 1981: A Ring of Endless Light – Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award
- 1981: A Ring of Endless Light – Nominated for John Newbery Medal
- 1981: A Swiftly Tilting Planet – Newbery Honor Award
- 1982: A Ring of Endless Light – California Young Reader Medal
- 1983: A Ring of Endless Light – Colorado Children’s Book Award
- 1984: Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association
- 1986: ALAN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Adolescent Literature from the National Council of Teachers of English
- 1986: Weisenberg School Book Award
- 1990: Kerlan Award
- 1997: World Fantasy Convention, lifetime achievement
- 1998: Margaret A. Edwards Award, lifetime achievement
- 1998: Sophia Award, School of Spiritual Psychology
- 1999: Wisdom House Award
Honors
- 1949: And Both Were Young – New York Times ten best books of 1949
- 1978: University of Mississippi Medallion
- 1980: Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts
- 1982: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana
- 1983: Honorary Doctor of Letters from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
- 1984: Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Theology from Berkeley Divinity School, Berkeley, California
- 1984: Honorary Doctor of Literature from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
- 1984: Honorary Doctor of Literature from Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
- 1985: Regina Medal
- 1986: Honorary Doctor of Letters from Smith College, Northhampton, Massachusetts
- 1986: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia
- 1987: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut
- 1989: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York
- 1991: Honorary Doctor of Literature from Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon
- 1994: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut
- 1994: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
- 1996: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Elon College, Elon College, North Carolina
- 1996: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston Rhode Island
- 1999: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
- 2000: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania