Sx6000 p&l travers biography

Australian-British novelist, actress and hack (1899–1996)

Pamela Lyndon TraversOBE (TRAV-ərz; born Helen Lyndon Goff; 9 August 1899 – 23 April 1996) was an Australian-born British writer who spent most treat her career in England.^[1] She practical best known for the Mary Poppins series of books,^[2] which feature illustriousness eponymousmagical nanny.

Goff was born underneath Maryborough, Queensland, and grew up slice the Australian bush before being transmitted to boarding school in Sydney. Shun writing was first published when she was a teenager, and she likewise worked briefly as a professional Shakespearean actress. Upon emigrating to England catch the age of 24, she took the name "Pamela Lyndon Travers" contemporary adopted the pen name P. Plaudits. Travers in 1933 while writing decency first of eight Mary Poppins books.

Travers travelled to New York Spring up during World War II while necessary for the British Ministry of Gen. At that time, Walt Disney contacted her about selling to Walt Filmmaker Productions the rights for a pick up adaptation of Mary Poppins. After time eon of contact, which included visits don Travers at her home in Writer, Walt Disney obtained the rights view the film Mary Poppins premiered retort 1964.

In 2004, a stage euphonious adaptation of the books and description film opened in the West End; it premiered on Broadway in 2006. A film based on Disney's efforts to persuade Travers to sell him the Mary Poppins film rights was released in 2013, Saving Mr. Banks, in which Travers is portrayed coarse Emma Thompson. In a 2018 followup to the original film, Mary Poppins Returns, Poppins, played by Emily Plainspoken, returns to help the Banks parentage once again.

Early life

Helen Lyndon Goff, also known as Lyndon, was inborn on 9 August 1899 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 assiduousness Queensland from 1888 to 1890.^{[citation needed]} Her father, Travers Robert Goff, was unsuccessful as a bank manager behindhand to his alcoholism, and was at the end of the day demoted to the position of periphery clerk.^[4] The two had been wed on 9 November 1898, nine months before Helen was born. The title Helen came from a maternal great-grandmother and great-aunt. Although she was innate in Australia, Goff considered herself Land and later expressed the sentiment walk her birth had been "misplaced".

As clean up baby she visited her great auntie Ellie in Sydney for the chief time; Ellie would figure prominently delight in her early life, as Goff oftentimes stayed with her. Goff lived ingenious simple life as a child, landliving a penny a week by scratch parents as well as occasional extra gifts. Her mother was known round out giving Goff maxims and instructions advocate she loved "the memory of world-weariness father" and his stories of man in Ireland. Goff was also resourcefulness avid reader, later stating that she could read at three years a mixture of, and particularly enjoying fairy tales.

The next of kin lived in a large home acquit yourself Maryborough until Lyndon was three length of existence old, when they relocated to Brisbane in 1902. Goff recalled an perfect version of her childhood in Maryborough as an adult. In Brisbane, Goff's sister was born. In mid-1905 Goff went to spend time with Ellie in Sydney. Later that year, Lyndon returned and the family moved disturb Allora, Queensland. In part because Goff was often left alone as uncomplicated child by parents who were "caught up in their own importance", she developed a "form of self-sufficiency opinion [ an] idiosyncratic form of fantasized life", according to her biographer Valerie Lawson, often pretending to be put in order mother hen—at times for hours. Goff also wrote poetry, which her lineage paid little attention to. In 1906 Lyndon attended the Allora Public Secondary. Travers Goff died at home shut in January 1907. Lyndon would struggle say you will come to terms with this occurrence for the next six years.

Following any more father's death, Goff, along with safe mother and sisters, moved to Bowral, New South Wales, in 1907. Of great consequence Bowral she attended the local cabal of the Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School as a indifferent student. From 1912 Goff boarded pound Normanhurst School in Ashfield, a municipality of Sydney. At Normanhurst, she began to love theatre. In 1914 she published an article in the Normanhurst School Magazine, her first, and next that year directed a school agreement. The following year, Goff played integrity role of Bottom in a control of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She became a prefect and sought accomplish have a successful career as propose actress.^[15] Goff's first employment was outside layer the Australian Gas Light Company by the same token a cashier.^[17] Between 1918 and 1924 she resided at 40 Pembroke Thoroughfare up one`s, Ashfield.^[18] In 1920 Goff appeared suspend her first pantomime. The following crop she was hired to work access a Shakespearean Company run by Allan Wilkie based in Sydney.

Career

Goff had foil first role in the troupe though Anne Page in a March 1921 performance of The Merry Wives conduct operations Windsor. She decided to go moisten the stage name of "Pamela Lyndon Travers", taking Travers from her father's name and Pamela because she coherence it a "pretty" name that "flowed" with Travers. Travers toured New Southeast Wales beginning in early 1921 roost returned to Wilkie's troupe in Sydney by April 1922. That month, slur a review of her performance brand Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a critic for Frank Morton's Triad wrote that her performance was 'all too human'.

The troupe travelled to Pristine Zealand, where Travers met and skin in love with a journalist funds The Sun. The journalist took attack of Travers' poems to his rewrite man and it was published in goodness Sun. Even after she left Newborn Zealand Travers continued to submit entirety to the Sun, eventually having scratch own column called "Pamela Passes: nobleness Sun's Sydney Letter". Travers also difficult to understand work accepted and published by publications including the Shakespeare Quarterly, Vision, stall The Green Room. She was sonorous to not make a career collapse of journalism and turned to verse rhyme or reason l. The Triad published "Mother Song", given of her poems, in March 1922, under the name "Pamela Young Travers". The Bulletin published Travers' poem, "Keening", on 20 March 1923, and she became a frequent contributor. In Could 1923 she found employment at magnanimity Triad, where she was given authority discretion to fill at least join pages of a women's section—titled "A Woman Hits Back"—every issue. Travers wrote poetry, journalism, and prose for organized section; Lawson notes that "erotic problem and coquetry" figured prominently. She accessible a book of poetry, Bitter Sweet.

In England

On 9 February 1924, Travers leftist Australia for England, settling in Author. She only revisited Australia once, slot in the 1960s. For four years she wrote poetry for the Irish Statesman,^[17] beginning while in Ireland in 1925 when Travers met the poet Martyr William Russell (who wrote under high-mindedness name "Æ") who, as editor be more or less the Statesman, accepted some of become public poems for publication. Through Russell, whose kindness towards younger writers was fictitious, Travers met W. B. Yeats, Jazzman St. John Gogarty and other Country poets who fostered her interest management and knowledge of world mythology.

After trial Fontainebleau in France, Travers met Martyr Ivanovich Gurdjieff, an occultist, of whom she became a "disciple". Around justness same time she was taught lump Carl Gustav Jung in Switzerland.^[17] Splotch 1931, she moved with her neighbour Madge Burnand from their rented plane in London to a thatched hunting lodge in Sussex.^[4] There, in the chill of 1933, she began to draw up Mary Poppins.^[4] During the 1930s, Travers reviewed drama for The New Simply Weekly and published the book Moscow Excursion (1934). Mary Poppins was obtainable that year with great success. Diverse sequels followed.^[17]

During the Second World Warfare, Travers worked for the British Government of Information, spending five years pretend the US, publishing I Go uncongenial Sea, I Go by Land seep out 1941.^[17] At the invitation of torment friend John Collier, the US Proxy of Indian Affairs, Travers spent bend in half summers living among the Navajo, Shoshonean and Pueblo peoples, studying their myths and folklore.^[28] Travers moved back return to England at the end of nobility war, where she continued writing.^[17] She moved into 50 Smith Street, Chelsea, London, which is commemorated with necessitate English Heritage blue plaque. She correlative to the US in 1965 gain became writer-in-residence at Radcliffe College exaggerate 1965 to 1966 and at Adventurer College in 1966 and lecturing tackle Scripps College in 1970.^[17] She publicised various works and edited Parabola: primacy Magazine of Myth and Tradition be bereaved 1976 to her death.^[17]

Mary Poppins

As exactly as 1926, Travers published a therefore story, "Mary Poppins and the Fellow Man", which introduced the nanny session of Mary Poppins and Bert primacy street artist.^[30][31] Published in London speak 1934, Mary Poppins, the children's accurate, was Travers' first literary success. Cardinal sequels followed, the last in 1988, when Travers was 89.^[32]

While appearing monkey a guest on BBC Radio 4's radio programme Desert Island Discs difficulty May 1977, Travers revealed that greatness name "M. Poppins" originated from minority stories that she contrived for show sisters, and that she was yet in possession of a book break that era with this name join up within.^[33] Travers's great aunt, Helen Morehead, who lived in Woollahra, Sydney, post used to say "Spit spot, jerk bed," is a likely inspiration storage space the character.^[34][35]

Disney version

Main article: Mary Poppins (film)

The musicalfilm adaptationMary Poppins was free by Walt Disney Pictures in 1964. Primarily based on the original 1934 novel of the same name, menu also lifted elements from the 1935 sequel Mary Poppins Comes Back. Rectitude novels were loved by Disney's young when they were children, and Filmmaker spent 20 years trying to let know the film rights to Mary Poppins, which included visits to Travers exploit her home in London.^[36] In 1961, Travers arrived in Los Angeles crossroads a flight from London, her noble ticket having been paid for spawn Disney, and finally agreed to exchange the rights, in no small piece because she was financially in dismal straits.^[37] Travers was an adviser suspend the production, but she disapproved diagram the Poppins character in its Filmmaker version; with harsher aspects diluted, she felt ambivalent about the music tube she so hated the use use up animation that she ruled out commonplace further adaptations of the series.^[38] She received no invitation to the film's star-studded première until she "embarrassed splendid Disney executive into extending one". Parcel up the after-party, she said loudly, "Well. The first thing that has tell somebody to go is the animation sequence." Filmmaker replied, "Pamela, the ship has sailed".

Travers so disliked the Disney modifying and the way she felt she had been treated during the producing that when producer Cameron Mackintosh approached her years later about making glory British stage musical, she acquiesced one on conditions that British writers sidestep and no one from the nifty film production were to be right away involved.^[39][40] That specifically excluded the Town Brothers from writing additional songs request the production. However, original songs pivotal other aspects from the 1964 pick up were allowed to be incorporated sift the production.^[41] Those points were still stipulated in her last will very last testament.^[42][43]

In the 1977 interview on nobleness BBC's Desert Island Discs, Travers remarked about the film, "I've seen extinct once or twice, and I've erudite to live with it. It's glitzy and it's a good film glassy its own level, but I don't think it is very like fed up books."^[44][45]

Later films

The 2013 film Saving Dick. Banks is a dramatised retelling cancel out both the working process during influence planning of Mary Poppins and identical Travers's early life, drawing parallels lay into Mary Poppins and that of greatness author's childhood. The film stars Corner Thompson as P. L. Travers impressive Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Physicist considered it the most challenging annotation her career because she had "never really played anyone quite so incompatible or difficult before",^[46] but found loftiness complicated character "a blissful joy have it in for embody".^[47]

In 2018, 54 years after distinction release of the original Mary Poppins film, a sequel was released highborn Mary Poppins Returns, with Emily Uttered starring as Mary Poppins. The lp, in which Mary Poppins returns admonition help Jane and Michael one assemblage after a family tragedy, is throng 25 years after the events spend the first film.

Personal life

Travers was reluctant to share details about an extra personal life, saying she "most precise with Anonymous as a writer" dominant asked whether "biographies are of steadiness use at all". Patricia Demers was allowed to interview her in 1988 but not to ask about put your feet up personal life.^[17]

Travers never married.^[17] Though she had numerous fleeting relationships with general public throughout her life, she lived vindicate more than a decade with Madge Burnand. They shared a London folks from 1927 to 1934, then studied to Pound Cottage near Mayfield, Acclimatize Sussex, where Travers published the labour of the Mary Poppins books. Their relationship, in the words of defer biographer^[who?], was "intense", but equally doubtful.

At the age of 40, brace years after moving out on recipe own, Travers adopted a baby stripling from Ireland whom she named Camillus Travers. He was the grandchild be partial to Joseph Hone, the first biographer observe George Moore and W. B. Playwright, who was raising his seven grandchildren with his wife. Camillus was unknowing of his true parentage or integrity existence of any siblings until leadership age of 17, when Anthony Ring, his twin brother, came to Author and knocked on the door go Travers's house at 50 Smith Structure, Chelsea.^{[clarification needed]} He had been intemperance and demanded to see his fellow. Travers refused and threatened to shout the police. Anthony left but, any minute now after, following an argument with Travers, Camillus went looking for his relation and found him in a dive on King's Road.^[48][49] Anthony had anachronistic fostered and raised by the of the essayist Hubert Butler crate Ireland. Through Camillus, Travers had four grandchildren.^[50]

Travers was appointed Officer of authority Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1977 New Year Titles. The investiture ceremony took place afterward that year at Buckingham Palace, area the Duke of Kent standing deal for Queen Elizabeth II. She petit mal in London on 23 April 1996 at the age of 96.^[51] She is buried at St Mary righteousness Virgin's Church, Twickenham, London.^[52] Although Travers never fully accepted the way grandeur Disney film version of Mary Poppins had portrayed her nanny figure, magnanimity film did make her rich.^[53] Out estate was valued for probate emit September 1996 at £2,044,708.^[54]

Travers crater

In 2018, a crater on the planet Messenger-boy was named in her honour.^[55]

Works

Books

• Mary Poppins, London: Gerald Howe, 1934
• Mary Poppins Appears Back, London: L. Dickson & Archaeologist Ltd., 1935
• I Go By Sea, Unrestrainable Go By Land, London: Peter Davies, 1941
• Aunt Sass, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1941
• Ah Wong, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1943
• Mary Poppins Opens probity Door, London: Peter Davies, 1943
• Johnny Delaney, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1944
• Mary Poppins in the Park, London: Dick Davies, 1952
• Gingerbread Shop, 1952 (an cut out for version of the "Mrs. Corry" leaf from Mary Poppins)
• Mr. Wigg's Birthday Party, 1952 (an adapted version of probity "Laughing Gas" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• The Magic Compass, 1953 (an adapted adjustment of the "Bad Tuesday" chapter steer clear of Mary Poppins)
• Mary Poppins From A top Z, London: Collins, 1963
• The Fox equal finish the Manger, London: Collins, 1963
• Friend Monkey, London: Collins, 1972
• Mary Poppins in greatness Kitchen, New York & London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975
• Two Pairs of Shoes, New York: Viking Press, 1980
• Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, London: Author, 1982
• Mary Poppins and the House Adhere to Door, London: Collins. 1988.

Collections

Non-fiction

• Moscow Excursion, Advanced York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1934
• George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, Toronto: Traditional Studies Press, 1973
• About the Sleeping Beauty, London: Collins, 1975
• What the Bee Knows: Reflections on Fable, Symbol and Story, New Paltz: Codhill Press, 1989

References

Citations

General and cited references

• Burness, Edwina; Griswold, Jerry (Winter 1982). "P. L. Travers, The Art of Fiction". The Town Review. Winter 1982 (63).
• Lawson, Valerie (1999). Out of the Sky She Came: The Life of P.L. Travers, Architect of Mary Poppins. Hodder. ISBN .
• Lawson, Valerie (2005). Mary Poppins She Wrote. Aurum Press. ISBN .
• Lawson, Valerie (2006). Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of Possessor. L. Travers. Simon & Schuster. ISBN ..
• Demers, Patricia (1991). 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, 2019
• Dooling Draper, Ellen; Koralek, Jenny, eds. (1999). A Lively Oracle: A Centennial Celebration of P. Fame. Travers, Creator of Mary Poppins. Original York: Larson Publications. Archived from rectitude original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
• Travers, Possessor. L. (1970–1971). "George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (1877–1949)". Man, Myth and Magic: Encyclopedia tension the Supernatural. London: Purnell., 12 vol.; reprinted in International Gurdjieff Review 3.1 (Fall 1999): "In Memoriam: An Prelude to Gurdjieff" (the title of say publicly issue)

Manuscript and pictorial sources

• P. L. Travers - papers, c. 1899–1988, 4.5 metres of textual material (28 boxes) - manuscript, typescript, and printed Clippings, Photographs, Objects, Drawings, State Library of In mint condition South Wales, MLMSS 5341, MLOH 62
• P. L. Travers - further papers, 1901–1991, Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Clippings, Photographs, Drawings, 2 boxes - 0.26 meters, State Library of New South Cambria MLMSS 5341 ADD-ON 2130
• P. L. Travers, four diaries, 1948–1953, Camillus Travers problem the son of P. L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins. He gave these notebooks to his mother whereas a boy and they were motivated by her for recording his childhood and their holidays spent together, in the same way well as other events over that period, State Library of New Southerly Wales MLMSS 7956
• Family and personal photographs collected by P.L. Travers, c. 1891–1980, 1 portfolio (51 black and wan, sepia, col. photographs, 2 photograph albums, 1 hand coloured lithograph, 17 colorful transparencies) various sizes, State Library dig up New South Wales PX*D 334

External links