Miriam Gurko
Miriam Gurko was an American author born around 1910 in New Jersey, known for her biographies and historical writings primarily aimed at children and adolescents. Throughout her career, she authored notable titles such as *Restless Spirit: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay* and *Indian America: The Black Hawk War*. Gurko's academic journey included attendance at New York University and ultimately earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1934. Following her marriage to English professor Leo Gurko that same year, she balanced family life with her professional pursuits, which included editorial and research roles in New York City until 1938.
A member of the Author's Guild and Phi Beta Kappa, Gurko maintained a long correspondence with prominent literary figures, particularly Floyd Dell, with whom she shared a friendship that influenced her work on Millay. After Dell's passing in 1969, she attempted to publish a collection of their letters, though it remained unpublished. Gurko passed away in 1988, and her manuscripts and letters are preserved at the Newbury Library in Chicago, reflecting her contributions to literature and the connections she fostered within the literary community.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Miriam Gurko
Writer
- Born: c. 1910
- Birthplace: Union City, New Jersey
- Died: July 3, 1988
- Place of death: Peekskill, New York
Biography
Born around 1910 in New Jersey, Miriam Gurko made her writing career by writing biographies and histories. The majority of these books were meant for children and adolescents. Two of her titles include Restless Spirit: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay and Indian America: The Black Hawk War.
Although she was a student at New York University from 1929 to 1931, she earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin in 1934. She married English professor and writer Leo Gurko in 1934. The couple had two children together. Miriam Gurko held memberships in the Author’s Guild of Authors League of America and Phi Beta Kappa. Her early career consisted of editorial work, publicity, and research in New York City from 1934 to 1938.
While Gurko was writing about Edna St. Vincent Millay, she became with friends with Floyd Dell, an American poet, novelist, playwright, and newspaper man. Dell became close friends with Edna St. Vincent Millay when he lived in Greenwich Village. Gurko and Dell corresponded until 1968. Dell died in 1969 and after his death, Gurko worked on transcribing his letters to her. These were to be published under the title Letters by Floyd Dell About Edna St. Vincent Millay, but they never made it to publication. Gurko herself died in 1988. The manuscript draft and the letters are kept in Chicago’s Newbury Library’s special collections.