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Nora Lourie was born in Russia on October 14, 1914. In 1922, she immigrated to America and grew up in New York City. Nora attended Barnard College, graduating in 1936. It was during her college years that she met her first love, Herman Gund, who received his B.A. from Columbia College in 1934 and his M.A. degree from the Graduate School of Journalism in 1935. They married in 1936 after Nora graduated college. Nora and Herman were front and center for Columbia's literary renaissance during the 1930s. Under the guidance of John Erskine, Mark Van Doren and other faculty members, Herman spearheaded the rejuvenation of the literary and debate group Philolexian Society (he was president in 1934-5), the Boar's Head Poetry competition, and the resulting printed poetry collections; while Nora started the Barnard Literary Club. As Herman and Nora fell in love, they became the nucleus around which the Columbia and Barnard literary groups crystallized and grew. They influenced and encouraged Robert Giroux, John Berryman, Herman Wouk, Thomas Merton, John Treville Latouche, Ad Reinhardt, and other artistic and literary giants on campus at that time - as well as influencing the next generation of Columbia literati, including Robert Lax and Ralph de Toledano. Herman died of leukemia in 1939, six months before their son was born. A collection of his poems"Out of Time", with a foreword by Mark Van Doren, was published posthumously in 1980. Nora married her second husband Jim Percival in 1943 with whom she had four daughters. Jim Percival died in 1984. Nora Lourie Percival currently lives in Carolina High Country near two of her daughters and is the proud grandmother of eleven and great grandmother of three.
Series I: Correspondence, 1934-1938
Letters between Herman Gund, CC '34 and Nora Lourie, BC '36 written between 1934 and 1939. Correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Series II: Publications, 1932-2011
This series contains copies of Columbia periodicals from the 1930s, many of which contain poems written by Herman Gund and/or Nora Lourie Percival as well as by other notables of that era. Titles include Varsity, Columbia Review, Jester, and The Barnard Quarterly. In addition to the 1930s periodicals this series contains copies of three memoirs written by Nora Lourie Percival and a book of poems written by Herman Gund which was published posthumously.
This collection is arranged in two series.
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located on site.
This collection has no restrictions.
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Nora Lourie Percival Papers; Box and Folder; Columbia University; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
No additions are expected
Source of acquisition--This collection was donated by Peter Gund CC 61 (Nora Lourie Percival's son) in 2015.
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Papers accessioned PTL 7/1/2015.
Papers processed Emily Felsen (BC 2018) 6/30/2016.
Finding aid written Jocelyn K. Wilk 12/6/2016.
2016-12-14 xml document instance created by Christopher M. Laico.
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Nora Lourie was born in Russia on October 14, 1914. In 1922, she immigrated to America and grew up in New York City. Nora attended Barnard College, graduating in 1936. It was during her college years that she met her first love, Herman Gund, who received his B.A. from Columbia College in 1934 and his M.A. degree from the Graduate School of Journalism in 1935. They married in 1936 after Nora graduated college.
Nora and Herman were front and center for Columbia's literary renaissance during the 1930s. Under the guidance of John Erskine, Mark Van Doren and other faculty members, Herman spearheaded the rejuvenation of the literary and debate group Philolexian Society (he was president in 1934-5), the Boar's Head Poetry competition, and the resulting printed poetry collections; while Nora started the Barnard Literary Club. As Herman and Nora fell in love, they became the nucleus around which the Columbia and Barnard literary groups crystallized and grew. They influenced and encouraged Robert Giroux, John Berryman, Herman Wouk, Thomas Merton, John Treville Latouche, Ad Reinhardt, and other artistic and literary giants on campus at that time - as well as influencing the next generation of Columbia literati, including Robert Lax and Ralph de Toledano. Nora and Herman played this role during the dark days of the depression, as they were struggling to balance academics, their literary lives, and their budding romance - while worrying about having enough to eat.
Herman died of leukemia in 1939, six months before their son was born. A collection of his poems, "Out of Time", with a foreword by Mark Van Doren, was published posthumously in 1980.
Nora married her second husband Jim Percival in 1943 with whom she had four daughters. Jim Percival died in 1984. Nora Lourie Percival currently lives in Carolina High Country near two of her daughters and is the proud grandmother of eleven and great grandmother of three.
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