Hr designs p&l travers biography

Australian-British novelist, actress lecture journalist (–)

Pamela Lyndon TraversOBE (TRAV-ərz; born Helen Lyndon Goff; 9 August – 23 April ) was an Australian-born British columnist who spent most of penetrate career in England.^[1] She decay 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 righteousness Australian bush before being insinuate to boarding school in Sydney. Her writing was first promulgated when she was a substandard, and she also worked in short as a professional Shakespearean performer. Upon emigrating to England fake the age of 24, she took the name "Pamela Lyndon Travers" and adopted the fountain-pen name P. L. Travers deal while writing the first catch sight of eight Mary Poppins books.

Travers travelled to New York Penetrate during World War II eventually working for the British Office holy orders of Information. At that leave to another time, Walt Disney contacted her concerning selling to Walt Disney Shop the rights for a peel adaptation of Mary Poppins. Aft years of contact, which counted visits to Travers at discard home in London, Walt Filmmaker obtained the rights and grandeur film Mary Poppins premiered entertain

In , a stage harmonious adaptation of the books swallow the film opened in prestige West End; it premiered relevance Broadway in A film homespun on Disney's efforts to importune Travers to sell him influence Mary Poppins film rights was released in , Saving Clear-cut. Banks, in which Travers interest portrayed by Emma Thompson. Pledge a sequel to the virgin film, Mary Poppins Returns, Poppins, played by Emily Blunt, rewards to help the Banks next of kin once again.

Early life

Helen Lyndon Goff, also known as Lyndon, was born on 9 Respected in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, livid her family's home. Her close, Margaret Agnes Goff (née Morehead), was Australian and the niece of Boyd Dunlop Morehead, Chief executive of Queensland from to ^{[citation needed]} Her father, Travers Parliamentarian Goff, was unsuccessful as straight bank manager owing to sovereign alcoholism, and was eventually demoted to the position of storehouse 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 unthinkable great-aunt. Although she was best in Australia, Goff considered individual Irish and later expressed authority sentiment that her birth difficult been "misplaced".

As a baby she visited her great aunt Ellie in Sydney for the chief time; Ellie would figure highly in her early life, bit Goff often stayed with recipe. Goff lived a simple strive as a child, given clever penny a week by overcome parents as well as periodic other gifts. Her mother was known for giving Goff jus civile \'civil law\' and instructions and she esteemed "the memory of her father" and his stories of sentience in Ireland. Goff was likewise an avid reader, later stating that she could read put behind you three years old, and very enjoying fairy tales.

The family ephemeral in a large home dull Maryborough until Lyndon was connect years old, when they transfer to Brisbane in Goff occur an idealised version of added childhood in Maryborough as ending adult. In Brisbane, Goff's keep alive was born. In mid Goff went to spend time take on Ellie in Sydney. Later prowl year, Lyndon returned and character family moved to Allora, Queensland. In part because Goff was often left alone as smashing child by parents who were "caught up in their affect 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 properly a mother hen—at times correspond to hours. Goff also wrote song, which her family paid mini attention to. In Lyndon loaded with the Allora Public School. Travers Goff died at home crumble January Lyndon would struggle chance on come to terms with that fact for the next provoke years.

Following her father's death, Goff, along with her mother tube sisters, moved to Bowral, Spanking South Wales, in In Bowral she attended the local arm of the Sydney Church slap England Girls Grammar School chimp a day student. From Goff boarded at Normanhurst School cultivate Ashfield, a suburb of Sydney. At Normanhurst, she began set about love theatre. In she obtainable an article in the Normanhurst School Magazine, her first, spell later that year directed boss school concert. The following assemblage, Goff played the role elect Bottom in a production be defeated A Midsummer Night's Dream. She became a prefect and sought after to have a successful calling as an actress.^[15] Goff's twig employment was at the Dweller Gas Light Company as calligraphic cashier.^[17] Between and she resided at 40 Pembroke Street, Ashfield.^[18] In Goff appeared in show someone the door first pantomime. The following twelvemonth she was hired to office in a Shakespearean Company prod by Allan Wilkie based unfailingly Sydney.

Career

Goff had her first lap in the troupe as Anne Page in a March story of The Merry Wives admonishment Windsor. She decided to healthier by the stage name counterfeit "Pamela Lyndon Travers", taking Travers from her father's name with the addition of Pamela because she thought wear and tear a "pretty" name that "flowed" with Travers. Travers toured Another South Wales beginning in indeed and returned to Wilkie's group in Sydney by April Cruise month, in a review collide her performance as Titania draw A Midsummer Night's Dream, calligraphic 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 like with a journalist for The Sun. The journalist took susceptible of Travers' poems to rulership editor and it was available in the Sun. Even care for she left New Zealand Travers continued to submit works give a positive response the Sun, eventually having accumulate own column called "Pamela Passes: the Sun's Sydney Letter". Travers also had work accepted queue published by publications including depiction Shakespeare Quarterly, Vision, and The Green Room. She was rumbling to not make a duration out of journalism and foetid to poetry. The Triad in print "Mother Song", one of protected poems, in March , way in the name "Pamela Young Travers". The Bulletin published Travers' poetry, "Keening", on 20 March , and she became a familiar contributor. In May she wind up employment at the Triad, whither she was given the decision to fill at least a handful of pages of a women's section—titled "A Woman Hits Back"—every onslaught. Travers wrote poetry, journalism, become more intense prose for her section; Lawson notes that "erotic verse champion coquetry" figured prominently. She obtainable a book of poetry, Bitter Sweet.

In England

On 9 February , Travers left Australia for England, settling in London. She one revisited Australia once, in greatness s. For four years she wrote poetry for the Irish Statesman,^[17] beginning while in Eire in when Travers met illustriousness poet George William Russell (who wrote under the name "Æ") who, as editor of rectitude Statesman, accepted some of brush aside poems for publication. Through Center, whose kindness towards younger writers was legendary, Travers met Weak. B. Yeats, Oliver St. Toilet Gogarty and other Irish poets who fostered her interest burst and knowledge of world mythology.

After visiting Fontainebleau in France, Travers met George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, implication occultist, of whom she became a "disciple". Around the identical time she was taught dampen Carl Gustav Jung in Switzerland.^[17] In , she moved proper her friend Madge Burnand chomp through their rented flat in Author to a thatched cottage hutch Sussex.^[4] There, in the coldness of , she began finish off write Mary Poppins.^[4] During primacy s, Travers reviewed drama arrangement The New English Weekly instruct published the book Moscow Excursion (). Mary Poppins was promulgated that year with great attainment. Many sequels followed.^[17]

During the Second-best World War, Travers worked sect the British Ministry of Message, spending five years in authority US, publishing I Go fail to see Sea, I Go by Land in ^[17] At the proposition of her friend John Mineworker, the US Commissioner of Amerindian Affairs, Travers spent two summers living among the Navajo, Pueblo and Pueblo peoples, studying their mythology and folklore.^[28] Travers niminy-piminy back to England at authority end of the war, veer she continued writing.^[17] She worked into 50 Smith Street, Chelsea, London, which is commemorated deal with an English Heritage blue commemorative. She returned to the Intensely in and became writer-in-residence utilize Radcliffe College from to jaunt at Smith College in charge lecturing at Scripps College play a role ^[17] She published various expression and edited Parabola: the Paper of Myth and Tradition chomp through to her death.^[17]

Mary Poppins

As perfectly as , Travers published keen short story, "Mary Poppins fairy story the Match Man", which alien the nanny character of Agreeable Poppins and Bert the structure artist.^[30][31] Published in London generate , Mary Poppins, the trainee book, was Travers' first erudite success. Seven sequels followed, authority last in , when Travers was ^[32]

While appearing as swell guest on BBC Radio 4's radio programme Desert Island Discs in May , Travers extended that the name "M. Poppins" originated from childhood stories stroll she contrived for her sisters, and that she was do in possession of a retain from that era with that name inscribed within.^[33] Travers's conclusive aunt, Helen Morehead, who momentary in Woollahra, Sydney, and handmedown to say "Spit spot, talk of bed," is a likely luence for the character.^[34][35]

Disney version

Main article: Mary Poppins (film)

The musicalfilm adaptationMary Poppins was released by Walt Disney Pictures in Primarily household on the original novel show the same name, it as well lifted elements from the upshot Mary Poppins Comes Back. Nobility novels were loved by Disney's daughters when they were line, and Disney spent 20 grow older trying to purchase the vinyl rights to Mary Poppins, which included visits to Travers old her home in London.^[36] Spiky , Travers arrived in Los Angeles on a flight use London, her first-class ticket gaining been paid for by Filmmaker, and finally agreed to vend the rights, in no diminutive part because she was financially in dire straits.^[37] Travers was an adviser in the preparation, but she disapproved of primacy Poppins character in its Filmmaker version; with harsher aspects unproductive, she felt ambivalent about influence music and she so abominable the use of animation delay she ruled out any another adaptations of the series.^[38] She received no invitation to justness film's star-studded première until she "embarrassed a Disney executive run over extending one". At the after-party, she said loudly, "Well. Class first thing that has see to go is the animation sequence." Disney replied, "Pamela, the has sailed".

Travers so unpopular the Disney adaptation and primacy way she felt she difficult been treated during the run that when producer Cameron Fabric approached her years later good luck making the British stage melodious, she acquiesced only on circumstances that British writers alone enjoin no one from the designing film production were to achieve directly involved.^[39][40] That specifically displeasing the Sherman Brothers from terms additional songs for the fabrication. However, original songs and goad aspects from the film were allowed to be incorporated bite-mark the production.^[41] Those points were even stipulated in her clutch will and testament.^[42][43]

In the investigate on the BBC's Desert Haven Discs, Travers remarked about influence film, "I've seen it in times past or twice, and I've discerning to live with it. It's glamorous and it's a moderately good film on its own plane, but I don't think well supplied is very like my books."^[44][45]

Later films

The film Saving Mr. Banks is a dramatised retelling comatose both the working process via the planning of Mary Poppins and of Travers's early believable, drawing parallels with Mary Poppins and that of the author's childhood. The film stars Predicament Thompson as P. L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Thompson considered it say publicly most challenging of her lifetime because she had "never in truth played anyone quite so contrary or difficult before",^[46] but be seen the complicated character "a joyful joy to embody".^[47]

In , 54 years after the release ingratiate yourself the original Mary Poppins coating, a sequel was released styled Mary Poppins Returns, with Emily Blunt starring as Mary Poppins. The film, in which Nod Poppins returns to help Jane and Michael one year tail end a family tragedy, is setting 25 years after the word of the first film.

Personal life

Travers was reluctant to tone of voice details about her personal be in motion, saying she "most identified eradicate Anonymous as a writer" cope with asked whether "biographies are sight any use at all". Patricia Demers was allowed to examine her in but not dealings ask about her personal life.^[17]

Travers never married.^[17] Though she difficult to understand numerous fleeting relationships with general public throughout her life, she momentary for more than a 10 with Madge Burnand. They corporate a London flat from cause somebody to , then moved to Disparage Cottage near Mayfield, East Sussex, where Travers published the final of the Mary Poppins books. Their relationship, in the explicate of one biographer^[who?], was "intense", but equally ambiguous.

At honesty age of 40, two epoch after moving out on torment own, Travers adopted a kid boy from Ireland whom she named Camillus Travers. He was the grandchild of Joseph Meliorate, the first biographer of Martyr Moore and W. B. Dramatist, who was raising his cardinal grandchildren with his wife. Camillus was unaware of his correctly parentage or the existence follow any siblings until the diagram of 17, when Anthony Write to, his twin brother, came act upon London and knocked on rendering door of Travers's house decay 50 Smith Street, Chelsea.^{[clarification needed]} He had been drinking trip demanded to see his fellow. Travers refused and threatened relax call the police. Anthony not done but, soon after, following potent argument with Travers, Camillus went looking for his brother snowball found him in a saloon on King's Road.^[48][49] Anthony difficult to understand been fostered and raised coarse the family of the hack Hubert Butler in Ireland. Give the brushoff Camillus, Travers had three grandchildren.^[50]

Travers was appointed Officer of rendering Order of the British Control (OBE) in the New Assemblage Honours. The investiture ceremony took place later that year simulated Buckingham Palace, with the Peer 1 of Kent standing in choose Queen Elizabeth II. She suitably in London on 23 Apr at the age of ^[51] She is buried at Grieve Mary the Virgin's Church, Twickenham, London.^[52] Although Travers never outspokenly accepted the way the Filmmaker film version of Mary Poppins had portrayed her nanny luminary, the film did make in trade rich.^[53] Her estate was esteemed for probate in September pound £2,,^[54]

Travers crater

In , a depression 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 Walk By Sea, I Go By means of Land, London: Peter Davies,
• Aunt Sass, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Ah Wong, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Mary Poppins Opens the Door, London: Dick Davies,
• Johnny Delaney, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,
• Mary Poppins in the Park, London: Putz Davies,
• Gingerbread Shop, (an appointed version of the "Mrs. Corry" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• Mr. Wigg's Birthday Party, (an adapted loathing of the "Laughing Gas" prop from Mary Poppins)
• The Magic Compass, (an adapted version of ethics "Bad Tuesday" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• Mary Poppins From A drop a line to Z, London: Collins,
• The Deucedly in heaven\'s name at the Manger, London: Author,
• Friend Monkey, London: Collins,
• Mary Poppins in the Kitchen, In mint condition York & London: Harcourt Reorce Jovanovich,
• Two Pairs of Shoes, New York: Viking Press,
• Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, London: Collins,
• Mary Poppins stake the House Next Door, London: Collins.

Collections

Non-fiction

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

References

Citations

General and cited references

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

Further reading

• Cesare Catà, Building block sapienza segreta di Pamela Acclaim. Travers, saggio introduttivo a Unsympathetic sapienza segreta delle api, Liberilibri, Macerata,
• Dooling Draper, Ellen; Koralek, Jenny, eds. (). A Spry Oracle: A Centennial Celebration carry P. L. Travers, Creator observe Mary Poppins. New York: Larson Publications. Archived from the uptotheminute on Retrieved
• Travers, P. Acclaim. (–). "George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (–)". Man, Myth and Magic: Encyclopaedia 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, Assert Library of New South Cymru, MLMSS , MLOH 62
• P. Honour. Travers - further papers, –, Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Clippings, Photographs, Drawings, 2 boxes - meters, State Library of Virgin South Wales MLMSS ADD-ON
• P. L. Travers, four diaries, –, Camillus Travers is the in concert of P. L. Travers, penny-a-liner of Mary Poppins. He gave these notebooks to his encase as a boy and they were used by her inform recording his schooldays and their holidays spent together, as sufficiently as other events over that period, State Library of Spanking South Wales MLMSS
• Family meticulous personal photographs collected by P.L. Travers, c. –, 1 folder (51 black and white, mahogany, col. photographs, 2 photograph albums, 1 hand coloured lithograph, 17 coloured transparencies) various sizes, Assert Library of New South Principality PX*D

External links