Discover the Best Books Written by Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle published her first novel, The Small Rain, in 1945. Four years later, she published her first children's book, And Both Were Young (1949). After struggling for several years, L’Engle began a series of juvenile fictional works about the Austin family with 1960s Meet the Austins. 

Two years later, she earned acclaim for A Wrinkle in Time, introducing a group of young children who engage in a cosmic battle against a great evil that abhors individuality; it spawned four sequels, as well as a 2018 big-screen adaptation. L'Engle also wrote several books of fiction and poetry for adults.

Born on November 29, 1918, in New York City, L'Engle was the only child of Charles Wadsworth and Madeleine Barnett Camp, a writer, and a pianist. L'Engle began writing at a young age, producing her first story when she was only five years old. "I've been a writer ever since I could hold a pencil," L'Engle told Humanities magazine.

At the age of 12, L'Engle moved with her parents to Europe and was enrolled in a Swiss boarding school. She returned to the United States a few years later and attended Ashley Hall, a boarding school in South Carolina. When she was 17, L'Engle lost her father. He served in the military during World War I and was exposed to mustard gas, which caused health problems for the rest of his life. 

L'Engle remained devoted to her writing throughout her life. In Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth (2002), she reflected on the influence and power of the narrative. She also pursued another creative form with Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L'Engle (2005). By this time, her health was in decline. She won the National Humanities Medal in 2004, but she was unable to make the award ceremony.