Madeleine is asked in the interview: Have you seen the movie? Madeleine answers, “Yes.”
She is asked: And did it meet expectations?
Madeleine answers, “Oh, yes. I expected it to be bad, and it is.”
I wrote her a letter once, when I was in my early 20s, and life was feeling pretty tough, pretty hard. I basically asked her, “How do you keep going? How do you read Anne Frank’s diary and not just hate everybody in the world?” (Something along those lines. I was in despair, and she seemed like she might have some answers. And I sent the letter to her publisher.)
Months later, I got a reply.
It was on a pale pale grey stationery, and across the top was emblazoned in a simple font: “MADELEINE”. I loved that. The informality of that.
And she wrote me just the most wonderful and encouraging and beautiful letter, it was only a paragraph long. All she said was:
“As long as there have been and continue to be people like …. (and she listed about 20 names, half of whom I had never heard of – but I remember Bach was on there) … on this earth, I find the strength to go on, and I am able to believe that people are good inside.”
She’s 85 years old. She’s a radical. She reminds me of my Great-Aunt Joan, in some respects. A courageous mind, a fearless intellect, excited to ask the tough questions, and face the mysteries of existence. The only thing there is to fear is rock-hard certainty, and, like Madeleine says about the ignorant fundamentalist Christians who want to ban all her books, they “want a closed system, and I want an open system.”
I own every one of her books. So good to “hear” from her, on occasion. So good to know she’s still out there.
(via Book Slut)
Update: Anne has some very interesting thoughts on L’Engle, and working out certain hostilities through your fiction. Good stuff.
She really holds back, doesn’t she?
It’s on tonight, isn’t it? So you can witness the badness for yourself…
I was always more partial to A Swiftly Tilting Planet than Wrinkle, don’t know why. But my ultimate favorite of hers was A Ring of Endless Light. I remember very clearly the circumstances of reading that book, precisely where I was, precisely how I felt. It was transcendent.
Anne, you are my kindred sister. Ring of Endless Light was my favorite too. I can’t explain what it made me feel when I first read it … but I had the same experience as you. A profoundly beautiful book.
Oh, and Rob: what would be the point of holding ANYTHING back when you are 85?? :)
I suspect she’s been the type to never hold anything back, and that’s probably why she’s still going so strong at 85.
I felt a sense of numinous dread when I heard they were making a tv movie of “Wrinkle”. Now I know for sure I don’t want to watch it, if the author of the book herself said it was as bad as she expected…
I refuse to watch this.
I found a hidden Madeline treasure not very long ago. There is a piece of choral music called “Mary Speaks” which was composed by Daniel Gawthrop. The lyrics, though, were written by L’Engle. It’s an absolutely wonderful piece. The women of the chorus in which I sing are performing it this year and we should have an actual recording of it in a month or so. If you’re interested at all, drop me a line and I’ll do my best to get you a copy.
Yeah but I’m still going to watch it.
It’s one of my all-time favorite books and I know no matter how bad the movie is, it won’t ruin the book for me.
DeAnna – you have to report back to us. :)
Jimmie – wow. That sounds incredible. Yes, please let me know.
One of the reasons she is such an idol to me is that she writes all kinds of books – she doesn’t limit herself to one kind of writing. (Of course, having an enormous success like Wrinkle in Time gives you the financial freedom to do other things, so that helps…)
But her memoirs, and her religious books, and her poems, and her work with young writers … It’s just so inspiring, I think.
I remember the first time I read A WRINKLE IN TIME. I was in fourth grade. I was reading it during our English class’s “bring a book to read” day (a feeble attempt to increase literacy among the students). When the teacher saw what I was reading, she grabbed it out of my hands and gave me something else; something she had brought in case a student forgot to bring a book. I don’t even remember what the book was (I didn’t read it, just sat in my seat with the book open). I do remember what she said about A WRINKLE IN TIME, though: “You shouldn’t be reading this. It’s a bad influence.” Even though I was only nine years old at the time, I realized that there was something serious wrong with our educational system if they had teachers like that.
I made it a point, for the rest of the school year, to bring books that the teacher would not like (it’s how I first discovered FAHRENHEIT 941). It was my first subtle act of civil disobediance. The students noticed it, and some of them joined with me. I was a little revolutionist! I loved it.
I love the book, too. To this day I don’t understand the fervor over it; it’s much less politically fomenting than ANIMAL FARM, or any of Ayn Rand’s stuff (an author I HIGHLY recommend!). Still, people will get upset over anything; if we learned anything from the Pryba case, we learned that. And for those of you who don’t follow entertainment law, or don’t read Robert Ingersoll’s column, and don’t know what the Pryba case is, I’m willing to share it with you. Sheila, if we get enough response, would you grant me space on your site for it; I’ve been too busy to get a blog page of my own (though maybe this is enough incentive).
You’ll get the first copy of our CD that comes to me. You’ll have a bunch of other classical choral music and I’m not sure how that suits you but it’s not all bad.
Madeline L’Engle
Sheila posts her warm appreciation for one of America’s great authors: Madeline L’Engle. I have to agree with her here. L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” was one of the first books I can remember that gripped me tightly and wouldn’t let go.
This is really coincidental. Lynn and I were just talking about Madelaine L’Engle the other day. It started with someone leaving a comment on my blog about E.B. White, who is Lynn’s favorite, and it turns out that we’d both read L’Engle as children as well. In my childhood, I had three literary nests that I continually returned to – A Wrinkle in Time, the Narnia series, and all of the Sherlock Holmes books, which I had virtually memorized. This is a delightful interview, thanks for the link. What a brave soul she is.