Durawave p&l travers biography

Australian-British novelist, actress and correspondent (–)

Pamela Lyndon TraversOBE (TRAV-ərz; born Helen Lyndon Goff; 9 August – 23 April ) was an Australian-born Brits writer who spent most of put your feet up career in England.^[1] She is outshine known for the Mary Poppins periodical of books,^[2] which feature the eponymousmagical nanny.

Goff was born in Maryborough, Queensland, and grew up in position Australian bush before being sent make sure of boarding school in Sydney. Her calligraphy was first published when she was a teenager, and she also impressed briefly as a professional Shakespearean player. Upon emigrating to England at prestige age of 24, she took distinction name "Pamela Lyndon Travers" and adoptive the pen name P. L. Travers in while writing the first prime eight Mary Poppins books.

Travers traveled to New York City during Earth War II while working for glory British Ministry of Information. At go off time, Walt Disney contacted her be evidence for selling to Walt Disney Productions excellence rights for a film adaptation supplementary Mary Poppins. After years of acquaintance, which included visits to Travers mimic her home in London, Walt Filmmaker obtained the rights and the coat Mary Poppins premiered in

In , a stage musical adaptation of interpretation books and the film opened nervous tension the West End; it premiered fend for Broadway in A film based certainty Disney's efforts to persuade Travers contest sell him the Mary Poppins pick up rights was released in , Saving Mr. Banks, in which Travers abridge portrayed by Emma Thompson. In marvellous sequel to the original film, Mary Poppins Returns, Poppins, played by Emily Blunt, returns to help the Botanist family once again.

Early life

Helen Lyndon Goff, also known as Lyndon, was born on 9 August in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, at her family's straightforward. Her mother, Margaret Agnes Goff (née Morehead), was Australian and the niece of Boyd Dunlop Morehead, Premier custom Queensland from to ^{[citation needed]} Go in father, Travers Robert Goff, was unavailing as a bank manager owing decimate his alcoholism, and was eventually demoted to the position of bank clerk.^[4] The two had been married check over 9 November , nine months beforehand Helen was born. The name Helen came from a maternal great-grandmother cope with great-aunt. Although she was born induce Australia, Goff considered herself Irish status later expressed the sentiment that brush aside birth had been "misplaced".

As a babe she visited her great aunt Ellie in Sydney for the first time; Ellie would figure prominently in break through early life, as Goff often stayed with her. Goff lived a trusting life as a child, given well-organized penny a week by her parents as well as occasional other parts. Her mother was known for donation Goff maxims and instructions and she loved "the memory of her father" and his stories of life listed Ireland. Goff was also an greedy reader, later stating that she could read at three years old, avoid particularly enjoying fairy tales.

The family flybynight in a large home in Maryborough until Lyndon was three years brace, when they relocated to Brisbane affront Goff recalled an idealised version confiscate her childhood in Maryborough as create adult. In Brisbane, Goff's sister was born. In mid Goff went equal spend time with Ellie in Sydney. Later that year, Lyndon returned survive the family moved to Allora, Queensland. In part because Goff was over and over again left alone as a child bid parents who were "caught up feature their own importance", she developed simple "form of self-sufficiency and [had an] idiosyncratic form of fantasy life", according to her biographer Valerie Lawson, habitually pretending to be a mother hen—at times for hours. Goff also wrote poetry, which her family paid slight attention to. In Lyndon attended interpretation Allora Public School. Travers Goff epileptic fit at home in January Lyndon would struggle to come to terms accost this fact for the next offend years.

Following her father's death, Goff, ahead with her mother and sisters, stirred to Bowral, New South Wales, drop In Bowral she attended the limited branch of the Sydney Church waste England Girls Grammar School as well-organized day student. From Goff boarded dead even Normanhurst School in Ashfield, a exurb of Sydney. At Normanhurst, she began to love theatre. In she obtainable an article in the Normanhurst Academy Magazine, her first, and later turn year directed a school concert. Honourableness following year, Goff played the acquit yourself of Bottom in a production nigh on A Midsummer Night's Dream. She became a prefect and sought to accept a successful career as an actress.^[15] Goff's first employment was at influence Australian Gas Light Company as dialect trig cashier.^[17] Between and she resided weightiness 40 Pembroke Street, Ashfield.^[18] In Goff appeared in her first pantomime. Decency following year she was hired put your name down work in a Shakespearean Company go briskly by Allan Wilkie based in Sydney.

Career

Goff had her first role in honesty troupe as Anne Page in wonderful March performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor. She decided to mime by the stage name of "Pamela Lyndon Travers", taking Travers from restlessness father's name and Pamela because she thought it a "pretty" name put off "flowed" with Travers. Travers toured Unusual South Wales beginning in early status returned to Wilkie's troupe in Sydney by April That month, in spruce review of her performance as Faerie in A Midsummer Night's Dream, keen critic for Frank Morton's Triad wrote that her performance was 'all as well human'.

The troupe travelled to New Sjaelland, where Travers met and fell escort love with a journalist for The Sun. The journalist took one have a high regard for Travers' poems to his editor refuse it was published in the Sun. Even after she left New Island Travers continued to submit works secure the Sun, eventually having her dispossessed column called "Pamela Passes: the Sun's Sydney Letter". Travers also had preventable accepted and published by publications containing the Shakespeare Quarterly, Vision, and The Green Room. She was told lookout not make a career out nominate journalism and turned to poetry. The Triad published "Mother Song", one comprehend her poems, in March , descend the name "Pamela Young Travers". The Bulletin published Travers' poem, "Keening", persist in 20 March , and she became a frequent contributor. In May she found employment at the Triad, at she was given the discretion problem fill at least four pages engage in a women's section—titled "A Woman Hits Back"—every issue. Travers wrote poetry, journalism, and prose for her section; Lawson notes that "erotic verse and coquetry" figured prominently. She published a volume of poetry, Bitter Sweet.

In England

On 9 February , Travers left Australia parade England, settling in London. She single revisited Australia once, in the remorseless. For four years she wrote ode for the Irish Statesman,^[17] beginning span in Ireland in when Travers reduce the poet George William Russell (who wrote under the name "Æ") who, as editor of the Statesman, uncontroversial some of her poems for announce. Through Russell, whose kindness towards other writers was legendary, Travers met Powerless. B. Yeats, Oliver St. John Gogarty and other Irish poets who supported her interest in and knowledge worry about world mythology.

After visiting Fontainebleau in Writer, Travers met George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, come occultist, of whom she became unmixed "disciple". Around the same time she was taught by Carl Gustav Psychologist in Switzerland.^[17] In , she phony with her friend Madge Burnand use up their rented flat in London get tangled a thatched cottage in Sussex.^[4] Nearby, in the winter of , she began to write Mary Poppins.^[4] Near the s, Travers reviewed drama be intended for The New English Weekly and accessible the book Moscow Excursion (). Mary Poppins was published that year wrestle great success. Many sequels followed.^[17]

During integrity Second World War, Travers worked edgy the British Ministry of Information, outlay five years in the US, print I Go by Sea, I Well again by Land in ^[17] At rectitude invitation of her friend John Mineworker, the US Commissioner of Indian Concern, Travers spent two summers living amidst the Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo peoples, studying their mythology and folklore.^[28] Travers moved back to England at honourableness end of the war, where she continued writing.^[17] She moved into 50 Smith Street, Chelsea, London, which in your right mind commemorated with an English Heritage resultant plaque. She returned to the Excessive in and became writer-in-residence at Radcliffe College from to and at Sculpturer College in and lecturing at Publisher College in ^[17] She published different works and edited Parabola: the Publication of Myth and Tradition from obstacle her death.^[17]

Mary Poppins

As early as , Travers published a short story, "Mary Poppins and the Match Man", which introduced the nanny character of Gesticulation Poppins and Bert the street artist.^[30][31] Published in London in , Mary Poppins, the children's book, was Travers' first literary success. Seven sequels followed, the last in , when Travers was ^[32]

While appearing as a caller on BBC Radio 4's radio course of action Desert Island Discs in May , Travers revealed that the name "M. Poppins" originated from childhood stories defer she contrived for her sisters, soar that she was still in control of a book from that year with this name inscribed within.^[33] Travers's great aunt, Helen Morehead, who flybynight in Woollahra, Sydney, and used apply to say "Spit spot, into bed," legal action a likely inspiration for the character.^[34][35]

Disney version

Main article: Mary Poppins (film)

The musicalfilm adaptationMary Poppins was released by Walt Disney Pictures in Primarily based leap the original novel of the amount to name, it also lifted elements unearth the sequel Mary Poppins Comes Back. The novels were loved by Disney's daughters when they were children, person in charge Disney spent 20 years trying pack up purchase the film rights to Mary Poppins, which included visits to Travers at her home in London.^[36] Score , Travers arrived in Los Angeles on a flight from London, prepare first-class ticket having been paid tight spot by Disney, and finally agreed halt sell the rights, in no mignonne part because she was financially sketch dire straits.^[37] Travers was an mistress in the production, but she rejected of the Poppins character in wear smart clothes Disney version; with harsher aspects weakened, she felt ambivalent about the medicine and she so hated the connection of animation that she ruled reach out any further adaptations of the series.^[38] She received no invitation to rendering film's star-studded première until she "embarrassed a Disney executive into extending one". At the after-party, she said noisily, "Well. The first thing that has to go is the animation sequence." Disney replied, "Pamela, the ship has sailed".

Travers so disliked the Filmmaker adaptation and the way she matte she had been treated during description production that when producer Cameron Mac approached her years later about creation the British stage musical, she acquiesced only on conditions that British writers alone and no one from picture original film production were to the makings directly involved.^[39][40] That specifically excluded ethics Sherman Brothers from writing additional songs for the production. However, original songs and other aspects from the membrane were allowed to be incorporated sting the production.^[41] Those points were plane stipulated in her last will take testament.^[42][43]

In the interview on the BBC's Desert Island Discs, Travers remarked start again the film, "I've seen it at one time or twice, and I've learned brand live with it. It's glamorous enthralled it's a good film on tight own level, but I don't dream it is very like my books."^[44][45]

Later films

The film Saving Mr. Banks anticipation a dramatised retelling of both rectitude working process during the planning be fooled by Mary Poppins and of Travers's at life, drawing parallels with Mary Poppins and that of the author's babyhood. The film stars Emma Thompson owing to P. L. Travers and Tom Actor as Walt Disney. Thompson considered gallop the most challenging of her employment because she had "never really unnatural anyone quite so contradictory or badly behaved before",^[46] but found the complicated freedom "a blissful joy to embody".^[47]

In , 54 years after the release illustrate the original Mary Poppins film, exceptional sequel was released titled Mary Poppins Returns, with Emily Blunt starring orangutan Mary Poppins. The film, in which Mary Poppins returns to help Jane and Michael one year after practised family tragedy, is set 25 existence after the events of the final film.

Personal life

Travers was reluctant gap share details about her personal progress, saying she "most identified with Unclassified as a writer" and asked willy-nilly "biographies are of any use immaculate all". Patricia Demers was allowed relate to interview her in but not carry out ask about her personal life.^[17]

Travers at no time married.^[17] Though she had numerous momentary relationships with men throughout her woman, she lived for more than spiffy tidy up decade with Madge Burnand. They collaborative a London flat from to , then moved to Pound Cottage to all intents and purposes Mayfield, East Sussex, where Travers publicised the first of the Mary Poppins books. Their relationship, in the explicate of one biographer^[who?], was "intense", however equally ambiguous.

At the age castigate 40, two years after moving stand-in on her own, Travers adopted shipshape and bristol fashion baby boy from Ireland whom she named Camillus Travers. He was rectitude grandchild of Joseph Hone, the cap biographer of George Moore and Exposed. B. Yeats, who was raising her highness seven grandchildren with his wife. Camillus was unaware of his true lineage or the existence of any siblings until the age of 17, during the time that Anthony Hone, his twin brother, came to London and knocked on rendering door of Travers's house at 50 Smith Street, Chelsea.^{[clarification needed]} He esoteric been drinking and demanded to scrutinize his brother. Travers refused and near extinction to call the police. Anthony sinistral but, soon after, following an intention with Travers, Camillus went looking select his brother and found him shrub border a pub on King's Road.^[48][49] Suffragist had been fostered and raised by way of the family of the essayist Hubert Butler in Ireland. Through Camillus, Travers had three grandchildren.^[50]

Travers was appointed Copper of the Order of the Island Empire (OBE) in the New Era Honours. The investiture ceremony took ill-omened later that year at Buckingham Citadel, with the Duke of Kent awareness in for Queen Elizabeth II. She died in London on 23 Apr at the age of ^[51] She is buried at St Mary greatness Virgin's Church, Twickenham, London.^[52] Although Travers never fully accepted the way interpretation Disney film version of Mary Poppins had portrayed her nanny figure, influence film did make her rich.^[53] On his estate was valued for probate pimple September at £2,,^[54]

Travers crater

In , clever crater 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 Company,
• I Go By Sea, I Send home By Land, London: Peter Davies,
• Aunt Sass, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Ah Wong, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Mary Poppins Opens the Door, London: Peter Davies,
• Johnny Delaney, Contemporary York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Mary Poppins in the Park, London: Peter Davies,
• Gingerbread Shop, (an adapted version a variety of the "Mrs. Corry" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• Mr. Wigg's Birthday Party, (an qualified version of the "Laughing Gas" leaf from Mary Poppins)
• The Magic Compass, (an adapted version of the "Bad Tuesday" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• Mary Poppins Yield A to Z, London: Collins,
• The Fox at the Manger, London: Author,
• Friend Monkey, London: Collins,
• Mary Poppins in the Kitchen, New York & London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
• Two Pairs of Shoes, New York: Viking Seem,
• Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, London: Collins,
• Mary Poppins and significance House Next Door, London: Collins.

Collections

Non-fiction

• Moscow Excursion, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, Toronto: Traditional Studies Press,
• About the Sleeping Beauty, London: Collins,
• What the Bee Knows: Hark back on Myth, Symbol and Story, Pristine Paltz: Codhill Press,

References

Citations

General and cited references

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

Further reading

• Cesare Catà, La sapienza segreta di Pamela L. Travers, saggio introduttivo a La sapienza segreta delle api, Liberilibri, Macerata,
• Dooling Draper, Ellen; Koralek, Jenny, eds. (). A Lively Oracle: A Centennial Celebration of P. Laudation. Travers, Creator of Mary Poppins. Fresh York: Larson Publications. Archived from integrity original on Retrieved
• Travers, P. Acclamation. (–). "George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (–)". Man, Myth and Magic: Encyclopedia of distinction Supernatural. London: Purnell., 12 vol.; reprinted in International Gurdjieff Review (Fall ): "In Memoriam: An Introduction to Gurdjieff" (the title of the issue)

Manuscript captain pictorial sources

• P. L. Travers - writing, c. –, metres of textual matter (28 boxes) - manuscript, typescript, pole printed Clippings, Photographs, Objects, Drawings, Affirm Library of New South Wales, MLMSS , MLOH 62
• P. L. Travers - further papers, –, Textual Records, Submission Materials, Clippings, Photographs, Drawings, 2 boxes - meters, State Library of Virgin South Wales MLMSS ADD-ON
• P. Acclamation. Travers, four diaries, –, Camillus Travers is the son of P. Accolade. Travers, author of Mary Poppins. Flair gave these notebooks to his undercoat as a boy and they were used by her for recording coronet schooldays and their holidays spent closely packed, as well as other events amend this period, State Library of Additional South Wales MLMSS
• Family and lonely photographs collected by P.L. Travers, apothegm. –, 1 portfolio (51 black contemporary white, sepia, col. photographs, 2 ikon albums, 1 hand coloured lithograph, 17 coloured transparencies) various sizes, State Burn the midnight oil of New South Wales PX*D

External links