Elaine Lobl Konigsburg was born on February 10, 1930 in New York. She was the daughter of Adolph, a businessman, and Beulah (Klein) Lobl. E.L. Konigsburg married a man named David Konigsburg in 1952. With David, she had three children, named Paul, Laurie, and Ross. She went to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Konigsburg was a follower of the Jewish religion.