materials. The first and only issue appeared in
1930–31. The publication shared its name with
Gumby’s legendary Harlem Book Studio on FIFTH
AVENUE. The site was an impressive repository of
clippings, documents, and materials produced by
and relating to Harlem Renaissance figures. Like
other engaging figures such as A’LELIAWALKER
and GEORGIADOUGLASJOHNSON, Gumby’s home
and studios became lively meeting places for artists,
writers, and people interested in the movement.
The Depression had devastating effects on the
man nicknamed “The Count” because of his self-
indulgence and delight in entertaining. His papers
and galley proofs of the magazine are part of the
Alexander Gumby scrapbook collection held in the
Rare Books and Manuscript Library at COLUMBIA
UNIVERSITY.
Gurdjieff, Georges Ivanovitch (1872–1949)
A mystic and teacher whose doctrine emphasized
the individual’s search for wholeness, the suppres-
sion of negative thoughts and feelings, and the ex-
ploration of human consciousness on many levels.
Born in Armenia to Greek parents, he traveled ex-
tensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United
States. His lengthy and intense studies with Bud-
dhist and Sufi teachers enabled him to realize his
powers as a spiritual leader and teacher. Following
his marriage to Russian Countess Ostrowsky, he es-
tablished himself in Paris. Gurdjieff founded the
Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man
in Fontainebleu, FRANCE. The organization at-
tracted a number of prominent figures including
the writers HART CRANE, JEAN TOOMER, and
Katherine Mansfield.
Toomer is the best-known Harlem Renaissance–
era follower of Gurdjieff’s teachings. Toomer was in-
troduced first to P. D. Ouspensky, a student of Gurd-
jieff’s, whose ideas were popular among American
literary and scholarly circles. Intrigued by the per-
spectives on a heightened receptivity and commu-
nion with the universe, Toomer spent the summer
of 1924 in France at the Institute for the Harmo-
nious Development of Man. Despite the unpre-
dictable and sometimes alarming protocols of the
place, Toomer became further convinced of the rel-
evance and power of the mystic’s teachings. He
pledged to disseminate Gurdjieff’s philosophies in
the United States.
When he returned, Toomer organized lectures,
supervised dances that incorporated movements
choreographed by the mystic, and contributed sub-
stantial sums of money to the cause. In New York,
Toomer’s peers initially responded with interest to
his sessions on Gurdjieff’s teachings. WALLACE
THURMAN, AARONDOUGLAS, and NELLALARSEN
were among those who attended some of the first
meetings that Toomer organized. Widespread inter-
est, however, was difficult to achieve, and as scholar
Eleonore van Notten notes, Toomer’s emphasis on
racial transcendence may have alienated potential
converts who also were proud race men and
women. Toomer eventually became disenchanted
with the organization. Finally frustrated with the fi-
nancial demands that increased as the 1930s pro-
gressed, he broke ties with his spiritual teacher and
the organization.
Gurdjieff’s teachings continue to influence
contemporary society. Organizations such as the
West Virginia–based Claymont Society for Contin-
uous Education preserve the mystic’s legacy and
philosophies.Bibliography
Gurdjieff, George I. All and Everything.3 vols. London:
Routledge & Kegan, 1974.
Kerman, Cynthia Earl, and Richard Eldridge. The Lives
of Jean Toomer: A Hunger for Wholeness.Baton
Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1987.
Webb, James. The Harmonious Circle.New York: G. P.
Putnam’s Sons, 1980.208 Gurdjieff, Georges Ivanovitch