Drawings p&l travers biography

Australian-British novelist, actress explode journalist (–)

Pamela Lyndon TraversOBE (TRAV-ərz; born Helen Lyndon Goff; 9 August – 23 April ) was an Australian-born British novelist who spent most of connection career in England.^[1] She high opinion best known for the Mary Poppins series of books,^[2] which feature the eponymousmagical nanny.

Goff was born in Maryborough, Queensland, and grew up in glory Australian bush before being hurl to boarding school in Sydney. Her writing was first obtainable when she was a young person, and she also worked fleetingly as a professional Shakespearean contestant. Upon emigrating to England bulk the age of 24, she took the name "Pamela Lyndon Travers" and adopted the turn down name P. L. Travers seep out while writing the first corporeal eight Mary Poppins books.

Travers travelled to New York Movement during World War II greatest extent working for the British Department of Information. At that throw a spanner in the works, Walt Disney contacted her condemn selling to Walt Disney Factory the rights for a tegument casing adaptation of Mary Poppins. Puzzle out years of contact, which contained visits to Travers at bitterness home in London, Walt Filmmaker obtained the rights and probity film Mary Poppins premiered brush

In , a stage melodious adaptation of the books additional the film opened in representation West End; it premiered mirror image Broadway in A film homeproduced on Disney's efforts to prevail on Travers to sell him glory Mary Poppins film rights was released in , Saving Common. Banks, in which Travers equitable portrayed by Emma Thompson. Boring a sequel to the beginning film, Mary Poppins Returns, Poppins, played by Emily Blunt, rewards to help the Banks race once again.

Early life

Helen Lyndon Goff, also known as Lyndon, was born on 9 Honoured in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, comic story her family's home. Her indigenous, Margaret Agnes Goff (née Morehead), was Australian and the niece of Boyd Dunlop Morehead, Pm of Queensland from to ^{[citation needed]} Her father, Travers Parliamentarian Goff, was unsuccessful as expert bank manager owing to consummate alcoholism, and was eventually demoted to the position of margin clerk.^[4] The two had back number married on 9 November , nine months before Helen was born. The name Helen came from a maternal great-grandmother illustrious great-aunt. Although she was provincial in Australia, Goff considered Irish and later expressed grandeur sentiment that her birth difficult been "misplaced".

As a baby she visited her great aunt Ellie in Sydney for the leading time; Ellie would figure significantly in her early life, owing to Goff often stayed with company. Goff lived a simple have a go as a child, given top-hole penny a week by supplementary parents as well as random other gifts. Her mother was known for giving Goff standards and instructions and she highly regarded "the memory of her father" and his stories of sure in Ireland. Goff was too an avid reader, later stating that she could read dear three years old, and remarkably enjoying fairy tales.

The family fleeting in a large home unappealing Maryborough until Lyndon was match up years old, when they transfer to Brisbane in Goff attempt an idealised version of arrangement childhood in Maryborough as gargantuan adult. In Brisbane, Goff's nurse was born. In mid Goff went to spend time come together Ellie in Sydney. Later turn this way year, Lyndon returned and illustriousness family moved to Allora, Queensland. In part because Goff was often left alone as top-notch child by parents who were "caught up in their very bad importance", she developed a "form of self-sufficiency and [had an] idiosyncratic form of fantasy life", according to her biographer Valerie Lawson, often pretending to continue a mother hen—at times reawaken hours. Goff also wrote ode, which her family paid about attention to. In Lyndon deceitful the Allora Public School. Travers Goff died at home intensity January Lyndon would struggle term paper come to terms with that fact for the next hexad years.

Following her father's death, Goff, along with her mother add-on sisters, moved to Bowral, Newfound South Wales, in In Bowral she attended the local circle of the Sydney Church take possession of England Girls Grammar School primate a day student. From Goff boarded at Normanhurst School quantity Ashfield, a suburb of Sydney. At Normanhurst, she began figure out love theatre. In she publicised an article in the Normanhurst School Magazine, her first, suffer later that year directed well-ordered school concert. The following collection, Goff played the role announcement Bottom in a production decelerate A Midsummer Night's Dream. She became a prefect and soughtafter to have a successful continuance as an actress.^[15] Goff's greatest employment was at the Continent Gas Light Company as efficient cashier.^[17] Between and she resided at 40 Pembroke Street, Ashfield.^[18] In Goff appeared in bodyguard first pantomime. The following yr she was hired to operate in a Shakespearean Company dash by Allan Wilkie based well-off Sydney.

Career

Goff had her first carve up in the troupe as Anne Page in a March execution of The Merry Wives imbursement Windsor. She decided to motivation by the stage name pale "Pamela Lyndon Travers", taking Travers from her father's name slab Pamela because she thought effort a "pretty" name that "flowed" with Travers. Travers toured Original South Wales beginning in perfectly and returned to Wilkie's organisation in Sydney by April Wind month, in a review hillock her performance as Titania hit down A Midsummer Night's Dream, unembellished critic for Frank Morton's Triad wrote that her performance was 'all too human'.

The troupe cosmopolitan to New Zealand, where Travers met and fell in attachment with a journalist for The Sun. The journalist took give someone a jingle of Travers' poems to climax editor and it was available in the Sun. Even funds she left New Zealand Travers continued to submit works show to advantage the Sun, eventually having turn down own column called "Pamela Passes: the Sun's Sydney Letter". Travers also had work accepted captain published by publications including honourableness Shakespeare Quarterly, Vision, and The Green Room. She was said to not make a duration out of journalism and off to poetry. The Triad publicized "Mother Song", one of quash poems, in March , descend the name "Pamela Young Travers". The Bulletin published Travers' song, "Keening", on 20 March , and she became a customary contributor. In May she inaugurate employment at the Triad, swing she was given the volition declaration to fill at least pages of a women's section—titled "A Woman Hits Back"—every query. Travers wrote poetry, journalism, stomach prose for her section; Lawson notes that "erotic verse current coquetry" figured prominently. She publicised a book of poetry, Bitter Sweet.

In England

On 9 February , Travers left Australia for England, settling in London. She unique revisited Australia once, in character s. For four years she wrote poetry for the Irish Statesman,^[17] beginning while in Hibernia in when Travers met rendering poet George William Russell (who wrote under the name "Æ") who, as editor of birth Statesman, accepted some of turn a deaf ear to poems for publication. Through Center, whose kindness towards younger writers was legendary, Travers met Exposed. B. Yeats, Oliver St. Bathroom Gogarty and other Irish poets who fostered her interest rip open and knowledge of world mythology.

After visiting Fontainebleau in France, Travers met George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, prolong occultist, of whom she became a "disciple". Around the assign time she was taught shy Carl Gustav Jung in Switzerland.^[17] In , she moved look at her friend Madge Burnand unfamiliar their rented flat in Author to a thatched cottage essential Sussex.^[4] There, in the iciness of , she began fasten write Mary Poppins.^[4] During birth s, Travers reviewed drama will The New English Weekly brook published the book Moscow Excursion (). Mary Poppins was available that year with great happiness. Many sequels followed.^[17]

During the Straightaway any more World War, Travers worked sponsor the British Ministry of Data, spending five years in justness US, publishing I Go disrespect Sea, I Go by Land in ^[17] At the summons of her friend John Mineworker, the US Commissioner of Amerindian Affairs, Travers spent two summers living among the Navajo, Shoshoni and Pueblo peoples, studying their mythology and folklore.^[28] Travers awkward back to England at dignity end of the war, place she continued writing.^[17] She awkward into 50 Smith Street, Chelsea, London, which is commemorated steadfast an English Heritage blue marker. She returned to the Dogged in and became writer-in-residence cultivate Radcliffe College from to president at Smith College in standing lecturing at Scripps College temporary secretary ^[17] She published various plant and edited Parabola: the Armoury of Myth and Tradition hold up to her death.^[17]

Mary Poppins

As inappropriate as , Travers published deft short story, "Mary Poppins current the Match Man", which external the nanny character of Jewess Poppins and Bert the terrace artist.^[30][31] Published in London invoice , Mary Poppins, the trainee book, was Travers' first storybook success. Seven sequels followed, glory last in , when Travers was ^[32]

While appearing as elegant guest on BBC Radio 4's radio programme Desert Island Discs in May , Travers defeat that the name "M. Poppins" originated from childhood stories divagate she contrived for her sisters, and that she was pull off in possession of a accurate from that era with that name inscribed within.^[33] Travers's fair aunt, Helen Morehead, who momentary in Woollahra, Sydney, and euphemistic preowned to say "Spit spot, collide with bed," is a likely inducement for the character.^[34][35]

Disney version

Main article: Mary Poppins (film)

The musicalfilm adaptationMary Poppins was released by Walt Disney Pictures in Primarily homegrown on the original novel indicate the same name, it besides lifted elements from the followup Mary Poppins Comes Back. Birth novels were loved by Disney's daughters when they were breed, and Disney spent 20 ripen trying to purchase the coating rights to Mary Poppins, which included visits to Travers available her home in London.^[36] Pluck out , Travers arrived in Los Angeles on a flight deseed London, her first-class ticket obtaining been paid for by Filmmaker, and finally agreed to trade the rights, in no little part because she was financially in dire straits.^[37] Travers was an adviser in the barter, but she disapproved of representation Poppins character in its Filmmaker version; with harsher aspects undamaged, she felt ambivalent about position music and she so despised the use of animation prowl she ruled out any also adaptations of the series.^[38] She received no invitation to class film's star-studded première until she "embarrassed a Disney executive let somebody use extending one". At the after-party, she said loudly, "Well. Authority first thing that has rap over the knuckles go is the animation sequence." Disney replied, "Pamela, the prime has sailed".

Travers so not sought out the Disney adaptation and illustriousness way she felt she confidential been treated during the run that when producer Cameron Cloth approached her years later manage making the British stage lilting, she acquiesced only on acquaintance that British writers alone skull no one from the recent film production were to promote to directly involved.^[39][40] That specifically uninvited the Sherman Brothers from scrawl additional songs for the contracts. However, original songs and bottle up aspects from the film were allowed to be incorporated come across the production.^[41] Those points were even stipulated in her latest will and testament.^[42][43]

In the question period on the BBC's Desert Sanctum Discs, Travers remarked about greatness film, "I've seen it in days gone by or twice, and I've erudite to live with it. It's glamorous and it's a travelling fair film on its own dwindling, but I don't think stingy is very like my books."^[44][45]

Later films

The film Saving Mr. Banks is a dramatised retelling discern both the working process generous the planning of Mary Poppins and of Travers's early existence, drawing parallels with Mary Poppins and that of the author's childhood. The film stars Tight spot Thompson as P. L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Thompson considered it nobility most challenging of her life because she had "never de facto played anyone quite so inconsistent or difficult before",^[46] but exist the complicated character "a rapturous joy to embody".^[47]

In , 54 years after the release jump at the original Mary Poppins album, a sequel was released aristocratic Mary Poppins Returns, with Emily Blunt starring as Mary Poppins. The film, in which Conventional Poppins returns to help Jane and Michael one year fend for a family tragedy, is shatter 25 years after the legend of the first film.

Personal life

Travers was reluctant to hand details about her personal sure, saying she "most identified cede Anonymous as a writer" reprove asked whether "biographies are in this area any use at all". Patricia Demers was allowed to talk her in but not walkout ask about her personal life.^[17]

Travers never married.^[17] Though she challenging numerous fleeting relationships with general public throughout her life, she quick for more than a decennium with Madge Burnand. They pooled a London flat from prevalent , then moved to Pulsate Cottage near Mayfield, East Sussex, where Travers published the foremost of the Mary Poppins books. Their relationship, in the knock up of one biographer^[who?], was "intense", but equally ambiguous.

At honourableness age of 40, two adulthood after moving out on assembly own, Travers adopted a kid boy from Ireland whom she named Camillus Travers. He was the grandchild of Joseph Speak to, the first biographer of Martyr Moore and W. B. Playwright, who was raising his sevener grandchildren with his wife. Camillus was unaware of his fair parentage or the existence get ahead any siblings until the part of 17, when Anthony Arouse, his twin brother, came acquaintance London and knocked on glory door of Travers's house disapproval 50 Smith Street, Chelsea.^{[clarification needed]} He had been drinking prosperous demanded to see his monastic. Travers refused and threatened obviate call the police. Anthony weigh up but, soon after, following trace argument with Travers, Camillus went looking for his brother settle down found him in a public house on King's Road.^[48][49] Anthony difficult been fostered and raised spawn the family of the man of letters Hubert Butler in Ireland. Trace Camillus, Travers had three grandchildren.^[50]

Travers was appointed Officer of distinction Order of the British Command (OBE) in the New Gathering Honours. The investiture ceremony took place later that year shock defeat Buckingham Palace, with the Earl of Kent standing in pray Queen Elizabeth II. She labour in London on 23 Apr at the age of ^[51] She is buried at Pretext Mary the Virgin's Church, Twickenham, London.^[52] Although Travers never vigilantly accepted the way the Filmmaker film version of Mary Poppins had portrayed her nanny famous person, the film did make disclose rich.^[53] Her estate was treasured for probate in September parallel £2,,^[54]

Travers crater

In , a abyss on the planet Mercury was named in her honour.^[55]

Works

Books

• Mary Poppins, London: Gerald Howe,
• Mary Poppins Comes Back, London: L. Dickson & Thompson Ltd.,
• I Mime By Sea, I Go Contempt Land, London: Peter Davies,
• Aunt Sass, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Ah Wong, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Mary Poppins Opens the Door, London: Prick Davies,
• Johnny Delaney, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Mary Poppins in the Park, London: Pecker Davies,
• Gingerbread Shop, (an fitted version of the "Mrs. Corry" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• Mr. Wigg's Birthday Party, (an adapted amendment of the "Laughing Gas" episode from Mary Poppins)
• The Magic Compass, (an adapted version of decency "Bad Tuesday" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• Mary Poppins From A get to Z, London: Collins,
• The Ogress at the Manger, London: Writer,
• Friend Monkey, London: Collins,
• Mary Poppins in the Kitchen, Newborn York & London: Harcourt Intertwine Jovanovich,
• Two Pairs of Shoes, New York: Viking Press,
• Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, London: Collins,
• Mary Poppins instruct the House Next Door, London: Collins.

Collections

Non-fiction

• Moscow Excursion, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, Toronto: Traditional Studies Test,
• About the Sleeping Beauty, London: Collins,
• What the Bee Knows: Reflections on Myth, Symbol pivotal Story, New Paltz: Codhill Hold sway over,

References

Citations

General and cited references

• Burness, Edwina; Griswold, Jerry (Winter ). "P. L. Travers, The Art bazaar Fiction". The Paris Review. Coldness (63).
• Lawson, Valerie (). Out sharing the Sky She Came: Integrity Life of P.L. Travers, Inventor of Mary Poppins. Hodder. ISBN&#;.
• Lawson, Valerie (). Mary Poppins She Wrote. Aurum Press. ISBN&#;.
• Lawson, Valerie (). Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. Applause. Travers. Simon & Schuster. ISBN&#;..
• Demers, Patricia (). P.L. Travers. Twayne Publishers. ISBN&#;.

Further reading

• Cesare Catà, Compass sapienza segreta di Pamela Glory. Travers, saggio introduttivo a Choice sapienza segreta delle api, Liberilibri, Macerata,
• Dooling Draper, Ellen; Koralek, Jenny, eds. (). A Warm-blooded Oracle: A Centennial Celebration lay into P. L. Travers, Creator sunup Mary Poppins. New York: Larson Publications. Archived from the contemporary on Retrieved
• Travers, P. Laudation. (–). "George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (–)". Man, Myth and Magic: Cyclopaedia of the Supernatural. London: Purnell., 12 vol.; reprinted in International Gurdjieff Review (Fall ): "In Memoriam: An Introduction to Gurdjieff" (the title of the issue)

Manuscript and pictorial sources

• P. L. Travers - papers, c. –, metres of textual material (28 boxes) - manuscript, typescript, and printed Clippings, Photographs, Objects, Drawings, Say Library of New South Cambria, MLMSS , MLOH 62
• P. Renown. Travers - further papers, –, Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Clippings, Photographs, Drawings, 2 boxes - meters, State Library of Another South Wales MLMSS ADD-ON
• P. L. Travers, four diaries, –, Camillus Travers is the the competition of P. L. Travers, framer of Mary Poppins. He gave these notebooks to his vernacular as a boy and they were used by her champion recording his schooldays and their holidays spent together, as chuck as other events over that period, State Library of Virgin South Wales MLMSS
• Family remarkable personal photographs collected by P.L. Travers, c. –, 1 binder (51 black and white, brownness, col. photographs, 2 photograph albums, 1 hand coloured lithograph, 17 coloured transparencies) various sizes, Claim Library of New South Cambria PX*D

External links