Madeleine L'Engle was born in 1918, and is still among the living. She was married to Hugh Franklin until he died in 1986. Franklin was an actor. They had three children, Josephine, Maria, and Bion. Her mother was also named Madeleine, and was a pianist. Her father, Charles Wadsworth, was an actor, author, and foreign correspondent. L'Engle went to Smith College in 1941, and moved to the New School for Social Research during 1941 and 1942. Afterward, she went to Columbia University for graduate studies. Madeleine L'Engle's religion is Anglican.

L'Engle was unaccepted as a little girl, and moved between boarding schools often. Her mother and father often fought for control over her, and her father mostly won out, because she was pampered as an English girl during her childhood. This led her to write stories about young people trying to fit in. The boarding school experience prompted her to write about loving families.