Friday, September 07, 2007

In Memoriam: Madeleine L'Engle

Today the world is a little duller, stories a little flatter, and stars a little more distant. Madeleine L'Engle has died.

When I was a young girl and a lonely, voracious reader, I discovered Meg Murray and "A Wrinkle in Time." Here was a protagonist who didn't fit in and who more often than not was irritable and frustrated. She was smart, stubborn, intense, and utterly my hero.

"A Wrinkle in Time" was published the year I was born. By the time I read it, L'Engle had already published other books--both 'fantasy' books and more 'realistic' fiction. I read everything she wrote.

Her voice and her vision ignited my imagination and my passion for storytelling. One of my dreams was to meet her and tell her how much her work meant to me, then and now. A few years ago, I was thrilled to introduce my older son and then my younger son to the Time Quintet. Watching them read L'Engle's seminal works allowed me to relive my own discovery of her worlds.

I am saddened by her passing. Not just for me, but for the world of stories and storytelling.

Rest in Peace, Madeleine L'Engle. You will be missed.

1 comment:

  1. SHE DIED?!?!!

    I had no idea. I'm so glad you posted this. I join you in sorrow at her passing.

    I'd been saddened by Luciano Pavarotti's passing, but this in addition has deepened it.

    Big hugs.
    Amen to A Wrinkle in Time

    Scarlett & Viaggiatore

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