Madeleine L'Engle, Rest in Peace

“Why does anybody tell a story?” Ms. L’Engle once asked, even though she knew the answer.

“It does indeed have something to do with faith,” she said, “faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

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L'Engle was one of my favorite authors, not only for her fine series about the Murray family which began with the fine A Wrinkle in Time, but also for her nonfiction. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth, and Penguins and Golden Calves: Icons and Idols in Antarctica and Other Unexpected Places are all highly recommended as meditations on faith, art, and daily living. Reading these allowed me to revisit the "Wrinkle in Time" series and see the deep faith underlying the stories. She was the rare author who wrote for all ages no matter what she was writing and very Tolkein-esque in her ability to write books that both believers and nonbelievers could enjoy.

Tributes to Madeleine L'Engle :

• The Paragraph Farmer
• Jeffrey Overstreet