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Francis C. Lewis writes from Saint Charles Seminary in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

John Lewis is a current member of the U.S. Congress and a leader during the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans. He was chairperson of SNCC from 1963-1966.

Fr. Thomas J. Liang was a priest of St. Leo's Church in Oakland, California. He was a refugee priest from China who came to the United States in 1951. He wrote to Merton concerning the Christian Unity Corps, which hosted international students. (Source: «The Road to Joy», p. 321.)

Clara Libra writes from Montevideo, Uruguay.

Beatrice Lillie was a Canadian-born, British actress. She achieved fame in Britain after World War I and international stardom after success in the United States in 1924. She was primarily known as a brilliant comedienne, often playing in musical productions. She became Lady Peel after marriage in 1920 to the Honourable Robert Peel of Staffordshire, England. During the time Merton sent her his book, Lillie performed cabarets and benefits while hosting two series on American television. (Source: "Lillie, Beatrice." Biography from Current Biography. 1964. Online. H.W. Wilson Company. Bellarmine University Library, Louisville, KY. 11 July 2007, ‹http://galenet.galegroup.com›.)

Paulo Alceu Amoroso was a Brazilian scholar, teacher, and writer of over eighty books on a variety of subjects. Among his interests, he wrote about social justice and was an early Latin American influence on Merton. He wrote prefaces and introductions to some of Merton's earlier works in Portuguese, while translating some of his later works. (Source: «The Courage for Truth», p. 164.)

Martin Lings (also using the nom de plume, Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din) was a scholar from England who wrote many books on Sufism, Islam, and the mystical traditions. Inspired by the French Muslim René Guénon, he converted to Islam in the 1940's and spent over a decade in Cairo. After leaving Egypt due to political unrest in 1952, he spent much of his career at the British Library and the British Museum. Lings first writes at the suggestion of Marco Pallis, asking if Merton would review his book, «Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions». (Sources: «The Hidden Ground of Love», p. 453. / Eaton, Gai. "Obituary - Martin Lings: Islamic scholar concerned with spiritual crisis." The Guardian Unlimited online. 27 May 2005. Bellarmine College Library. Accessed 8 Sept. 2005. ‹http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1493343,00.html›.)

"Alexander Lipski... was born in Berlin, Germany... He came to the United States in l947. A year later he enrolled at UC Berkeley, where he met his wife, Mia, and where he received his Ph.D. in Russian History in 1953. He taught history at Michigan State University, before coming to Long Beach[, California]. He taught history, and later religious studies at CSULB from 1958 until his retirement in 1984."

Juan Liscano was a poet, literary critic, essayist and editor of such literary magazines as «Zona Franca». He writes from Caracas, Venezuela.

Claire Livingston was a poet and professional violinist who taught at North Hennepin State Junior College in Osseo, Minnesota. Her husband, Ray (see "Livingston, Ray F." file), was first in contact with Merton and sent him some of Claire's poetry. Merton included a number of her poems, and their eleven year old son Ira's poems, in the fourth edition of «Monks Pond». Livingston was also on the board of editors for the literary magazine «Karamus». (Source: Monks Pond, pp. 348.)

Ray Livingston was chair of the Department of English at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sr. Pilar Lizárraga was a Sister of the Instituto de Hermanas Esclavas del Corazón de Jesús from Rancagua, Chile, and was planning to do a thesis on Merton at the Colegio de Jesús in Salta, Argentina. Her proposed thesis was to be under the title, "Modern Man and his Search of Solitude in Thomas Merton".

A. López Llausás writes from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on behalf of Editorial Sudamericana S.A.

Cecil Robert Lloyd writes on behalf of a authors and poets series to be hosted by Radio KHFM of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jan Milic Lochman was born in Nove Mesto nad Metuji, Czechoslovakia. A theologian and professor of the Reformed tradition, he was ordained a minister of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. He began a professorship in theology in Prague in 1950. In 1964, he was visiting the United States. He was due to go to Richmond, Virginia, but after a flight delay and change of plans, John Heidbrink arranged for him to come to Louisville and Gethsemani. Merton writes about Lochman in diary entries of March 6 and 19, 1964, describing a long conversation on Barth and Pope John XXIII lasting late into the night. After the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Lochman came with his family to New York and taught at Union Theological Seminary. He was later involved with the World Council of Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. He was the author of a number of theological texts. (Source: Nyomi, Setri; and Milan Opocensky. "Jan Milic Lochman, 1922-2004". website of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. 1 January 2004. Accessed 12 September 2005. ‹http://warc.jalb.de/warcajsp/side.jsp?news_id=186&part_id=0&navi=6›.)

Fr. Loftus served as the academic dean of Bellarmine College from 1953 until his death in 1969. He chair the committee for the establishment of a collection of Merton's papers at Bellarmine. In 1960, Merton would sometimes visit . Loftus was a fan of Merton's work and excited about establishing a connection with Bellarmine.

John Logan was writing on behalf of the Thomas More Association from Chicago. The association was responsible for the Thomas More Book Club, the Thomas More Book Shop, and the publication «The Critic», which published some of Merton's poems.

Kenneth A. Lohf was Assistant Librarian for Special Collections at Columbia University in New York.

Fr. Benedict Lohr was a Trappist monk of Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia. He was writing as editor of «Monastic Studies» and asked if Merton would contribute a piece for an issue about the Advent-Nativity Mystery.

Sister M. Lois was an Ursuline Sister teaching at Angela Merici Hight School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Fr. Riccardo Lombardi was a Jesuit priest writing on behalf of the Centro Internationale Pio XII per un Mondo Migliore in Rome, Italy.

Sr. Lone was a Carmelite nun from Norfolk, England.

Michael Looby was a student at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. He asks Merton to defend his stand against the Vietnam War.

Richard M. (Dick) Loomis was a former monk of Gethsemani who went by the religious name of "Cuthbert". He narrated "Laudate Dominum", an album of Gregorian Chant for which Merton provided the program notes.

Beatriz Lorca sends Merton a book by Chilean author, María Donoso entitled «Hominum Terra», hoping Merton can help to find an American publisher.

Else B. Lorch was Assistant to James Laughlin at New Directions. She writes from New York.

Sr. Marialein Lorenz was a Sinsinawa Dominican sister and teacher. She first writes from Mobile, Alabama, and later from Anaconda, Montana. While in Mobile during the 1940's and 1950's, she taught at an exclusively African-American high school. Merton and her students exchanged letters, and the students send Merton an amice, corporal, purificator and finger towel for his ordination. (Source: «The Road to Joy», p. 314.)

Dominic Lorenzo writes on behalf of University of Notre Dame Press in Indiana.

Fr. Johann Lotz was a German Jesuit priest and Catholic existentialist philosopher who was the author of a number of book and was planning to visit Merton at Gethsemani.

Dom André Louf was a Cistercian monk and author of books on contemplative prayer. He was of the abbey of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont at Mont-des-Cats in France. In 1963, he became abbot of this monastery.

Fr. Louis Marié was a Trappist monk of Sainte Marie-du-Desert Abbey in Bellegarde, France.

Mother Marie de Lourdes was of the Society of St. Ursula of the Blessed Virgin from Tours, France. She came to the United States in 1965 to visit her community's foundation in Kingston, New York. She arranged to meet Merton to discuss aggiornamento or reform in the religious life.

This letter suggests that Sr. Lourdes is in a religious order in the Orient. Merton does not mention her order, but mentions that she has hopes of becoming a Trappistine.

Jim Lowell writes from the Asphodel Book Shop in Cleveland, Ohio. He writes to obtain copies of Merton's small press literary magazine, «Monks Pond». Merton does not plan to sell the magazine and will certainly give him copies that Lowell can sell, but suggests that if Lowell wants to trade, there are a couple of books he would like Lowell to send him (Franz Fanon's «Black Skin, White Masks» and Herbert Mancuse's «One Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society «).

A poet in his own right, Walter Lowenfels might be better known as an anthologist of 20th century radical poetry. A member of the Communist party, he wrote for the «Daily Worker» from the 1930's through the early 1950's. Solely based on his Communist Party membership, he was arrested and convicted of trying to overthrow the United States government in 1953, such charges being cleared in a matter of weeks. In the late 1950's, he focused more on writing poetry and publishing anthologies. Besides liking Lowenfels poems in «To an Imaginary Daughter», Merton gives Lowenfels praise for his anthology, «Where Is Vietnam?» (Source: "Walter Lowenfels, 1897-1976. American author and editor." Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Library Department of Special Collections website. 27 July 2004. Accessed 16 September 2005. ‹http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/manuscripts/mlc/lowenfels/lowenfels.html›.)

Mina Loy spent her later years in Aspen, Colorado, and Merton writes to her there. "Loy moved from Victorian England to impressionist Paris, to futurist Florence, to bohemian Greenwich Village and back to expatriate Paris during her long career. . . . Painter, poet, actress, playwright, feminist, mother, designer, conceptual artist - her range of skills and experience make it difficult to place her too squarely in any one artistic category." (Source: Hanscombe, Gillian and Virginia L. Smyers, "Mina Loy's Life" on the website of Modern American Poetry at Illinois University. Accessed 11 March 2009. ‹http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/loy/bio.htm›.)

Fr. Lucas was a priest of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate living in India. He writes to Merton asking that he write a biography of Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the co-founder of Lucas' order whom they were advocating a cause for sainthood. Chavara was beatified in 1986.

Pierre Lucas writes from the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris, France.

From a humble beginning in New York, Clare Boothe Luce rose to prominent and varied careers, including an advocate for the women's movement, managing editor of «Vanity Fair», a satirist and playwright, «Life» magazine correspondent in Europe during World War II, Republican legislator in the U.S. House of Representatives for Connecticut, and ambassador to Italy. She was known for her scathing wit. Her husband after a remarriage was Henry R. Luce, who was president of Time magazine, and his death in 1964 allowed her to retire to Hawaii, but she remained active in Republican politics. She converted to Catholicism in 1944 after the death of her only daughter. Henry Luce donated the land that made Mepkin Abbey possible in Conyers, Georgia. Clare Boothe Luce writes to Merton in 1948 to thank him for his books. (Source: "Luce, Clare Boothe." World Authors 1900-1950 (1996). Online. H.W. Wilson. Bellarmine University Library, Louisville, KY. 16 September 2005. ‹http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com›.)

Maureen Luces, a 19-year old from Brooklyn, New York, wrote to Merton asking advice about whether to become a cloistered Carmelite nun or to enter a missionary order. Merton's answer to her letter is the only extant piece of correspondence. According to her daughter, Luces was later prevented from entering a convent based on racial exclusion, but became a Fullbright Scholar in France and attended the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. She later married and became a member of the Third Order Carmelites.

Sr. Lucilla was a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet writing from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts.

The author of this letter, signing Luke, seems to either be a novice or a brother of Gethsemani Abbey at the time of writing to Merton.

Fr. Luke was a monk of Genesee Abbey in Piffard, New York.

Br. Edmund Lum was a Trappist monk of Gethsemani Abbey. His name outside of religious life is Theodore Lum.

Sr. Lurana was a Missionary Sister of the Blessed Sacrament from New Orleans, Louisiana. At the time of correspondence, she was Exhibits Director for an art Xavier University and arranged to have Merton's art displayed there.

Fr. Rupert A. Lutz was a United States Army chaplain and Franciscan priest who had served in Vietnam. He writes from San Francisco, California.