Clara Lore (Lorette) "Lola" Gruenthal (née Braunstein/ Bronstein) was born in 1914 in Berlin, where she grew up in a Russian-Jewish family. In 1937 she came to New York via Ellis Island as an "illegal immigrant" and later immigrated to the United States via Cuba under the German quota. She studied psychology and psycho-diagnostic testing at New York University and Columbia University. She worked as a secretary and also as a psychological research assistant, as well as writing her own poetry and short stories. Her early poetry was published in Blätter des jüdischen Kulturbunds in Germany and other Jewish journals. In the United States she began to publish mainly English translations of poetry and prose, such as Rainer Maria Rilke's Evald Tragy, among many others. She also translated from English into German, especially Emily Dickinson's poetry. She was a co-editor of Frauenfahrplan, a collection of writings by members of WIG (Women in German). Occasionally she was published under the pseudonym "Lola Boerner." Lola Gruenthal maintained extensive correspondence with many well-known individuals such as Walter Bräutigam, Christina Malman, and Lucille Nawara.
Max Gruenthal was born in Germany and earned his medical degree in 1916 from the University of Berlin. In the mid-1930s he immigrated to New York, where he established his psychiatric practice; in 1945 he and Lola were married. He and Lola Gruenthal had three sons. Max Gruenthal counted several well-known individuals among his patients. He died in 1962 in New York City.
From the guide to the Max and Lola Gruenthal Collection, 1880-2003, bulk 1936-1990, (Leo Baeck Institute)
