Madeleine L'Engle (; November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and
young adult fiction
Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
, including ''
A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-u ...
'' and its sequels: ''
A Wind in the Door'', ''
A Swiftly Tilting Planet'', ''
Many Waters'', and ''
An Acceptable Time''. Her works reflect both her
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
faith and her strong interest in modern
science
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
.
Early life
Madeleine L'Engle Camp was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on November 29, 1918, and named after her great-grandmother, Madeleine Margaret L'Engle, otherwise known as Mado.
Her maternal grandfather was Florida banker
Bion Barnett, co-founder of
Barnett Bank in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
. Her mother, a pianist, was also named Madeleine: Madeleine Hall Barnett. Her father, Charles Wadsworth Camp, was a writer, critic, and foreign correspondent who, according to his daughter, suffered lung damage from
mustard gas
Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur compound, organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other Chemical species, species. In the wi ...
during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
L'Engle wrote her first story aged five and began keeping a
journal
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...
aged eight.
These early literary attempts did not translate into academic success at the New York City private school where she was enrolled. A shy, awkward child, she was branded as stupid by some of her teachers. Unable to please them, she retreated into her own world of books and writing. Her parents often disagreed about how to raise her, and as a result she attended a number of
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
s and had many
governess
A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...
es.
The Camps traveled frequently. At one point, the family moved to a
château
A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...
near
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...
in the
French Alps
The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...
, in what Madeleine described as the hope that the cleaner air would be easier on her father's lungs. Madeleine was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. In 1933, L'Engle's grandmother fell ill, and they moved near
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
to be close to her. L'Engle attended another boarding school,
Ashley Hall, in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
. When her father died in October 1936, Madeleine arrived home too late to say goodbye.
Education, marriage, and family
L'Engle attended
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
from 1937 to 1941. After graduating ''
cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' from Smith,
she moved to an apartment in New York City. L'Engle published her novels ''
The Small Rain'' and ''
Ilsa'' prior to 1942. She met actor
Hugh Franklin that year when she appeared in the play ''
The Cherry Orchard
''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...
'' by
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
, and she married him on January 26, 1946. Later she wrote of their meeting and marriage, "We met in ''The Cherry Orchard'' and were married in ''The Joyous Season''."
The couple's first daughter, Josephine, was born in 1947.
The family moved to a 200-year-old farmhouse called Crosswicks in the small town of
Goshen, Connecticut in 1952. To replace Franklin's lost acting income, they purchased and operated a small general store, while L'Engle continued with her writing. Their son Bion was born that same year. Four years later, seven-year-old Maria, the daughter of family friends who had died, came to live with the Franklins and they adopted her shortly thereafter. During this period, L'Engle also served as
choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
director of the local
Congregational church
Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
.
Writing career
L'Engle determined to give up writing on her 40th birthday (November 1958) when she received yet another rejection notice. "With all the hours I spent writing, I was still not pulling my own weight financially." Soon she discovered both that she could not give it up and that she had continued to work on fiction subconsciously.
The family returned to New York City in 1959 so that Hugh could resume his acting career. The move was immediately preceded by a ten-week cross-country camping trip, during which L'Engle first had the idea for her most famous novel, ''
A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-u ...
'', which she completed by 1960. It was rejected more than thirty times before she handed it to
John C. Farrar;
[ it was finally published by ]Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer P ...
in 1962.
In 1960 the Franklins moved to an apartment on the Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...
, in the Cleburne Building on West End Avenue. From 1960 to 1966 (and again in 1986, 1989 and 1990), L'Engle taught at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School in New York. In 1965 she became a volunteer librarian at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, also in New York. She later served for many years as writer-in-residence at the cathedral, generally spending her winters in New York and her summers at Crosswicks.
During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, L'Engle wrote dozens of books for children and adults. Four of the books for adults formed the ''Crosswicks Journals'' series of autobiographical memoirs. Of these, ''The Summer of the Great-grandmother'' (1974) discusses L'Engle's personal experience caring for her aged mother, and ''Two-Part Invention'' (1988) is a memoir of her marriage, completed after her husband's death from cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
on September 26, 1986.
On writing for children
Soon after winning the Newbery Medal for her 1962 "junior novel" ''A Wrinkle in Time'', L'Engle discussed children's books in ''The New York Times Book Review''. The writer of a good children's book, she observed, may need to return to the "intuitive understanding of his own childhood," being ''childlike'' although not ''childish''. She claimed, "It's often possible to make demands of a child that couldn't be made of an adult... A child will often understand scientific concepts that would baffle an adult. This is because he can understand with a leap of the imagination that is denied the grown-up who has acquired the little knowledge that is a dangerous thing." Of philosophy, etc., as well as science, "the child will come to it with an open mind, whereas many adults come closed to an open book. This is one reason so many writers turn to fantasy (which children claim as their own) when they have something important and difficult to say."
Religious beliefs
L'Engle was a Christian who attended Episcopal churches and believed in universal salvation, writing that "All will be redeemed in God's fullness of time, all, not just the small portion of the population who have been given the grace to know and accept Christ. All the strayed and stolen sheep. All the little lost ones." As a result of her promotion of Christian universalism
Christian universalism is a school of Christian theology focused around the doctrine of universal reconciliation – the view that all human beings will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God. "Christian universalism" ...
, many Christian bookstores refused to carry her books, which were also frequently banned from evangelical Christian schools and libraries. At the same time, some of her most secular critics attacked her work for being far too religious.
Her views on divine punishment were similar to those of George MacDonald, who also had a large influence on her fictional work. She said "I cannot believe that God wants punishment to go on interminably any more than does a loving parent. The entire purpose of loving punishment is to teach, and it lasts only as long as is needed for the lesson. And the lesson is always love."
In 1982, L'Engle reflected on how suffering had taught her. She told how suffering a "lonely solitude" as a child taught her about the "world of the imagination" that enabled her to write for children. Later she suffered a "decade of failure" after her first books were published. It was a "bitter" experience, yet she wrote that she had "learned a lot of valuable lessons" that enabled her to persevere as a writer.
Later years, death, and legacy
In 1972, L'Engle and her husband, Hugh Franklin, established the Crosswicks Foundation, a family foundation.
L'Engle was seriously injured in an automobile accident in 1991, but recovered well enough to visit Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
in 1992. Her son, Bion Franklin, died on December 17, 1999, from the effects of prolonged alcoholism. He was 47 years old.
In her final years, L'Engle became unable to teach or travel due to reduced mobility from osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to more porous bone, and consequent increase in Bone fracture, fracture risk.
It is the most common reason f ...
, especially after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into Intraparenchymal hemorrhage, the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its Intraventricular hemorrhage, ventricles, or into both. An ICH is ...
in 2002. She also abandoned her former schedule of speaking engagements and seminars. A few compilations of older work, some of it previously unpublished, appeared after 2001.
L'Engle died of natural causes at Rose Haven, a nursing facility close to her home in Litchfield, Connecticut, on September 6, 2007, according to a statement made by her publicist the following day.
She is interred in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.
In 2018, her granddaughters Charlotte Jones Voiklis and Léna Roy published ''Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Her Granddaughters''.
''A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L’Engle'' by Sarah Arthur was also published in 2018.
L'Engle's ''A Wrinkle in Time'' was adapted into a film twice by Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. A television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
, directed by John Kent Harrison, premiered on May 10, 2004. When asked in an interview with ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' if the film "met her expectations", L'Engle said, "I have glimpsed it. ... I expected it to be bad, and it is." A theatrical film, directed by Ava DuVernay
Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, NAACP Image Awards, a British Academy Film Awards, ...
, premiered March 9, 2018.
In celebration of L'Engle's centenary year, Writing for Your Life hosted the inaugural Madeleine L'Engle Conference: Walking on Water on November 16, 2019, in New York City, New York, at All Angels' Church on the Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...
. Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson (née Womeldorf; born October 31, 1932) is an American writer best known for Children's literature, children's novels, including ''Bridge to Terabithia (novel), Bridge to Terabithia'' (1977), which won the Newbery Medal in 197 ...
served as the keynote speaker.
Awards, honors, and organizations
In addition to the numerous awards, medals, and prizes won by individual books L'Engle wrote, she personally received many honors over the years. These included being named an Associate Dame of Justice in the Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...
(1972); the USM Medallion from The University of Southern Mississippi (1978); the Smith College Medal "for service to community or college which exemplifies the purposes of liberal arts education" (1981); the Sophia Award for distinction in her field (1984); the Regina Medal (1985); the ALAN Award for outstanding contribution to adolescent literature, presented by the National Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts
English studies (or simply, English) is an academic discip ...
(1987); and the Kerlan Award (1991).
In 1985 she was a guest speaker at the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
, giving a speech entitled "Dare to be Creative!" That same year she began a two-year term as president of the Authors Guild
The Authors Guild is the United States' oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has coun ...
. In addition she received over a dozen honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s from as many colleges and universities, such as Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Fr ...
. Many of these name her as a Doctor of Humane Letters, but she was also made a Doctor of Literature and a Doctor of Sacred Theology, the latter at Berkeley Divinity School in 1984. In 1995 she was writer-in-residence for ''Victoria Magazine''. In 1997 she was recognized for Lifetime Achievement from the World Fantasy Awards.
L'Engle received the annual Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
in 1998. The Edwards Award recognizes one writer and a particular body of work for a "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." Four books by L'Engle were cited: ''Meet the Austins'', ''A Wrinkle In Time'', ''A Swiftly Tilting Planet'', and ''A Ring of Endless Light'' (published 1960 to 1980).[ In 2004 she received the National Humanities Medal]["Madeleine L'Engle"]
Awards & Honors: 2004 National Humanities Medalist. National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
. Retrieved June 19, 2013. but could not attend the ceremony due to poor health.
L'Engle was inducted into the New York Writers Hall of Fame in 2011.
In a 2012 survey of ''School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...
'' readers, ''A Wrinkle in Time'' was voted the best children's novel after ''Charlotte's Web
''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...
''.[Bird, Elizabeth (June 28, 2012)]
"Top 100 Children's Novels #2: ''A Wrinkle in Time'' by Madeleine L'Engle"
A Fuse 8 Production. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
In 2013, a crater on Mercury was named after L'Engle.
At Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
, a fellowship is available in L'Engle's name to visit and use the special collections available there. This fund provides stipends to support travel by researchers—from novices to advanced, award-winning scholars—to explore the resources available in the Smith College Archives, Mortimer Rare Book Collection, and Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History.
The Madeleine L'Engle Collection
Since 1976, Wheaton College in Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
has maintained a special collection of L'Engle's papers, and a variety of other materials, dating back to 1919. The Madeleine L'Engle Collection includes manuscripts for the majority of her published and unpublished works, as well as interviews, photographs, audio and video presentations, and an extensive array of correspondence with both adults and children, including artwork sent to her by children.
In 2019, a collection of 43 linear feet of L'Engle's family, personal, and literary papers came to the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History at Smith College. They had been donated by her literary estate.
Bibliographic overview
Most of L'Engle's novels from ''A Wrinkle in Time'' onward are centered on a cast of recurring characters, who sometimes reappear decades older than when they were first introduced. The "Kairos" books are about the Murry and O'Keefe families, with Meg Murry
The ''Time Quintet'' is a fantasy/science fiction series of five young adult novels written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. The quintet includes ''A Wrinkle in Time'' (1962), '' A Wind in the Door'' (1973), '' A Swiftly Tilting Planet'' (1 ...
and Calvin O'Keefe marrying and producing the next generation's protagonist, Polyhymnia O'Keefe. L'Engle wrote about both generations concurrently, with Polly (originally spelled Poly) first appearing in 1965, well before the second book about her parents as teenagers (''A Wind in the Door'', 1973). The "Chronos" books center on Vicky Austin and her siblings. Although Vicky's appearances all occur during her childhood and teenage years, her sister Suzy also appears as an adult in ''A Severed Wasp'', with a husband and teenage children. In addition, two of L'Engle's early protagonists, Katherine Forrester and Camilla Dickinson, reappear as elderly women in later novels. Rounding out the cast are several characters "who cross and connect": Canon Tallis, Adam Eddington, and Zachary Gray, who each appear in both the Kairos and Chronos books.
In addition to novels and poetry, L'Engle wrote many nonfiction works, including the autobiographical '' Crosswicks Journals'' and other explorations of the subjects of faith and art. For L'Engle, who wrote repeatedly about "story as truth", the distinction between fiction and memoir was sometimes blurred. Real events from her life and family history made their way into some of her novels, while fictional elements, such as assumed names for people and places, can be found in her published journals.
Works
Novels for young adults
''Chronos & Kairos'' series:
* ''Chronos'' (''The Austin Family Chronicles''):
**# '' Meet the Austins'' (1960)
**# '' The Moon by Night'' (1963)
**#: 2.5. '' The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas'' (1984) )[The two Christmas books are shorter works, heavily illustrated but not actually ]picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images.
The ima ...
s. The events in each of these stories take place prior to the events of '' Meet the Austins''.
**# '' The Young Unicorns'' (1968)
**# '' A Ring of Endless Light'' (1980) (Newbery Honor
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...
Book)
**#: 4.5. '' The Anti-Muffins'' (1980)
**# '' Troubling a Star'' (1994)
**#: 5.5. ''Miracle on 10th Street: And Other Christmas Writings'' (1998), a short story collection including '' The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas'' (1984) and '' A Full House: An Austin Family Christmas'' (1999)
**#: 5.6. '' A Full House: An Austin Family Christmas'' (1999) )[
**#: 5.7. "Rob Austin and the Millennium Bug", a short story included in the anthology ''Second Sight: Stories for a New Millennium'' (1999)
* ''Kairos'' (''The Murry-O'Keefe Family Chronicles''):]
*# First-generation (''Murry'' series):
*## ''A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-u ...
'' (1962; Newbery Award Winner)
*## '' A Wind in the Door'' (1973)
*##: 2.5. ''Intergalactic P.S. 3'' (1970)
*## '' A Swiftly Tilting Planet'' (1978) — National Book Award in category Children's Books (paperback).["National Book Awards – 1980"]
National Book Foundation
The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established with the goal "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: ...
. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
*## '' Many Waters'' (1986)
*# Second-generation (''O'Keefe Family'' series):
*## '' The Arm of the Starfish'' (1965)
*## '' Dragons in the Waters'' (1976)
*## '' A House Like a Lotus'' (1984)
*## '' An Acceptable Time'' (1989)
Stand-alone releases:
* '' And Both Were Young'' (1949), revised and reissued with new material (1983)
* ''The Journey with Jonah'' (1967)
* '' The Joys of Love'' (2008)
Novels
''Katherine Forrester Vigneras'' series:
# '' The Small Rain'' (1945)
#* '' Prelude'' (1968), no ISBN, an adaptation of the first half of '' The Small Rain''
# '' A Severed Wasp'' (1982)
''Camilla Dickinson'' series:
# ''Camilla Dickinson
''Camilla Dickinson'' is a 1951 novel by Madeleine L'Engle about the first romance of two teenagers from dysfunctional families in New York City. In 1965, it was republished in slightly different form under the title ''Camilla''.
Plot summary
F ...
'' (1951), later republished in slightly different form as ''Camilla'' (1965), novel of young adult
# '' A Live Coal in the Sea'' (1996)
Stand-alones:
* '' Ilsa'' (1946)
* '' A Winter's Love'' (1957),
* '' The Love Letters'' (1966), revised and reissued as ''Love Letters'' (2000)
* ''The Other Side of the Sun'' (1971)
* '' Certain Women'' (1992)
''Note: some ISBNs given are for later paperback editions, since no such numbering existed when L'Engle's earlier titles were published in hardcover.''
Children's books
Picture books:
* '' Dance in the Desert'' (1969)
* '' The Glorious Impossible'' (1990)
* ''The Other Dog'' (2001)
* ''A Book, Too, Can Be a Star'' (2022), a picture book biography of Madeleine L'Engle
Short stories
Collections:
* ''The Sphinx at Dawn: Two Stories'' (1982), collection of 2 short stories:
*: "Pakko's Camel", "The Sphinx at Dawn"
* ''101st Miracle: Early Short Stories by Madeleine L'Engle'' (1999), collection of 12 short stories:
*: "Poor Little Saturday", "Six Good People", and more. (Although there is an ISBN listed, there is no record of this title ever being published.)
* ''The Moment of Tenderness'' (2020), collection of 18 short stories
Poems
Collections:
* ''The Weather of the Heart: Selected Poems'' (1978)
* ''Wintersong: Christmas Readings'' (1996, with Luci Shaw)
* ''Mothers And Daughters'' (1997)
* '' The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L'Engle'' (2005), collection of nearly 200 poems, including 18 that have never before been published:
*: "Lines Scribbled on an Envelope", "The Weather of the Heart", "A Cry Like a Bell", and more
Plays
* ''18 Washington Square South: A Comedy In One Act'' (1944)
Non-fiction
;Autobiographies and memoirs
''Crosswicks Journals'' series:
# '' A Circle of Quiet'' (1972)
# '' The Summer of the Great-grandmother'' (1974)
# '' The Irrational Season'' (1977)
# '' Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage'' (1988) (U.K. and Australia title: ''From This Day Forward)''
Stand-alones:
* ''Glimpses of Grace: Daily Thoughts and Reflections'' (1996, with Carole F. Chase)
* '' Friends for the Journey'' (1997, with Luci Shaw)
* ''My Own Small Place: Developing the Writing Life'' (1998) (Although there is a ISBN for this title, there is no record of it having ever been released.)
*
;Religion
Genesis Trilogy:
# ''And It Was Good: Reflections on Beginnings'' (1983)
# '' A Stone for a Pillow'' (1986)
# '' Sold into Egypt'' (1989)
Stand-alones:
* ''Everyday Prayers'' (1974)
* ''Prayers for Sunday'' (1975)
* ''Spirit And Light: Essays In Historical Theology'' (1976)
* ''Ladder of Angels: Stories from the Bible Illustrated by Children of the World'' (1979)
* '' Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art'' (1980)
* ''Trailing Clouds of Glory: Spiritual Values in Children's Literature'' (1985)
* '' The Rock that is Higher: Story as Truth'' (1993)
* ''Anytime Prayers'' (1994)
* '' Penguins and Golden Calves: Icons and Idols in Antarctica and Other Spiritual Places'' (1996)
* '' Bright Evening Star: Mystery of the Incarnation'' (1997)
* ''Miracle on 10th Street: And Other Christmas Writings'' (1998)
*: Includes two short stories about the ''Austin Family Chronicles'' series.
* ''A Prayerbook for Spiritual Friends'' (1999, with Luci Shaw)
* ''Mothers and Sons'' (2000)
;Writing
* ''Dare To Be Creative!: A Lecture Presented At The Library Of Congress, November 16, 1983'' (1984)
* ''Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?: The Celebrated Speech'' (2012)
Adaptations
* '' A Ring of Endless Light'' (2002), telefilm directed by Greg Beeman, based on young adult novel '' A Ring of Endless Light''
* ''A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-u ...
'' (2003), telefilm directed by John Kent Harrison, based on young adult novel ''A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-u ...
''
* ''Camilla Dickinson'' (2012), film directed by Cornelia Duryée, based on young adult novel ''Camilla Dickinson
''Camilla Dickinson'' is a 1951 novel by Madeleine L'Engle about the first romance of two teenagers from dysfunctional families in New York City. In 1965, it was republished in slightly different form under the title ''Camilla''.
Plot summary
F ...
''
* ''A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-u ...
'' (2018), film directed by Ava DuVernay
Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, NAACP Image Awards, a British Academy Film Awards, ...
, based on young adult novel ''A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-u ...
''
Notes
References
Further reading
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External links
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Madeleine L'Engle papers
at the Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history.
General
One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, a ...
, Smith College
Interview with Madeline L'Engle
about her 1990 Kerlan Award, ''All About Kids! TV Series'' #47 (1990)
{{DEFAULTSORT:L'Engle, Madeleine
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