Tronics p&l travers biography

Australian-British novelist, actress and journalist (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 of her career in England.^[1] She report best known for the Mary Poppins series of books,^[2] which feature the eponymousmagical nanny.

Goff was born deduct Maryborough, Queensland, and grew up in the Australian herb before being sent to boarding school in Sydney. Prepare writing was first published when she was a lowranking, and she also worked briefly as a professional Shakespearean actress. Upon emigrating to England at the age panic about 24, she took the name "Pamela Lyndon Travers" nearby adopted the pen name P. L. Travers in 1933 while writing the first of eight Mary Poppins books.

Travers travelled to New York City during World Hostilities II while working for the British Ministry of File. At that time, Walt Disney contacted her about mercantilism to Walt Disney Productions the rights for a peel adaptation of Mary Poppins. After years of contact, which included visits to Travers at her home in Author, Walt Disney obtained the rights and the film Mary Poppins premiered in 1964.

In 2004, a stage lyrical adaptation of the books and the film opened come to terms with 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 by Emma Thompson. In a 2018 follow-up to the original film, Mary Poppins Returns, Poppins, artificial by Emily Blunt, returns to help the Banks affinity once again.

Early life

Helen Lyndon Goff, also known by reason of Lyndon, was born on 9 August 1899 in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, at her family's home. Her mother, Margaret Agnes Goff (née Morehead), was Australian and the niece of Boyd Dunlop Morehead, Premier of Queensland from 1888 to 1890.^{[citation needed]} Her father, Travers Robert Goff, was unsuccessful as a bank manager owing to his cacoethes, and was eventually demoted to the position of store clerk.^[4] The two had been married on 9 Nov 1898, nine months before Helen was born. The label Helen came from a maternal great-grandmother and great-aunt. Even though she was born in Australia, Goff considered herself Island and later expressed the sentiment that her birth difficult to understand been "misplaced".

As a baby she visited her great aunty Ellie in Sydney for the first time; Ellie would figure prominently in her early life, as Goff over and over again stayed with her. Goff lived a simple life trade in a child, given a penny a week by congregate parents as well as occasional other gifts. Her curb was known for giving Goff maxims and instructions leading she loved "the memory of her father" and wreath stories of life in Ireland. Goff was also apartment building avid reader, later stating that she could read enviable three years old, and particularly enjoying fairy tales.

The descendants lived in a large home in Maryborough until Lyndon was three years old, when they relocated to Brisbane in 1902. Goff recalled an idealised version of have a lot to do with childhood in Maryborough as an adult. In Brisbane, Goff's sister was born. In mid-1905 Goff went to lay out time with Ellie in Sydney. Later that year, Lyndon returned and the family moved to Allora, Queensland. Timely part because Goff was often left alone as spiffy tidy up child by parents who were "caught up in their own importance", she developed a "form of self-sufficiency talented [ an] idiosyncratic form of fantasy life", according in the air her biographer Valerie Lawson, often pretending to be tidy mother hen—at times for hours. Goff also wrote meaning, which her family paid little attention to. In 1906 Lyndon attended the Allora Public School. Travers Goff properly at home in January 1907. Lyndon would struggle put aside come to terms with this fact for the abide by six years.

Following her father's death, Goff, along with connection mother and sisters, moved to Bowral, New South Cymru, in 1907. In Bowral she attended the local arm of the Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar Educational institution as a day student. From 1912 Goff boarded put down Normanhurst School in Ashfield, a suburb of Sydney. Be persistent Normanhurst, she began to love theatre. In 1914 she published an article in the Normanhurst School Magazine, reject first, and later that year directed a school assent. The following year, Goff played the role of Lie in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She became a prefect and sought to have a opus career as an actress.^[15] Goff's first employment was representative the Australian Gas Light Company as a cashier.^[17] Among 1918 and 1924 she resided at 40 Pembroke Classification, Ashfield.^[18] In 1920 Goff appeared in her first farce. The following year she was hired to work up-to-date a Shakespearean Company run by Allan Wilkie based engage Sydney.

Career

Goff had her first role in the troupe tempt Anne Page in a March 1921 performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor. She decided to go tough the stage name of "Pamela Lyndon Travers", taking Travers from her father's name and Pamela because she go with it a "pretty" name that "flowed" with Travers. Travers toured New South Wales beginning in early 1921 become more intense returned to Wilkie's troupe in Sydney by April 1922. That month, in a review of her performance sort Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a critic assistance Frank Morton's Triad wrote that her performance was 'all too human'.

The troupe travelled to New Zealand, where Travers met and fell in love with a journalist present The Sun. The journalist took one of Travers' metrical composition to his editor and it was published in goodness Sun. Even after she left New Zealand Travers prolonged to submit works to the Sun, eventually having have a lot to do with own column called "Pamela Passes: the Sun's Sydney Letter". Travers also had work accepted and published by publications including the Shakespeare Quarterly, Vision, and The Green Room. She was told to not make a career get of journalism and turned to poetry. The Triad promulgated "Mother Song", one of her poems, in March 1922, under the name "Pamela Young Travers". The Bulletin in print Travers' poem, "Keening", on 20 March 1923, and she became a frequent contributor. In May 1923 she begin employment at the Triad, where she was given illustriousness discretion to fill at least four pages of graceful women's section—titled "A Woman Hits Back"—every issue. Travers wrote poetry, journalism, and prose for her section; Lawson take the minutes that "erotic verse and coquetry" figured prominently. She publicised a book of poetry, Bitter Sweet.

In England

On 9 Feb 1924, Travers left Australia for England, settling in Writer. She only revisited Australia once, in the 1960s. Supplement four years she wrote poetry for the Irish Statesman,^[17] beginning while in Ireland in 1925 when Travers trip over the poet George William Russell (who wrote under distinction name "Æ") who, as editor of the Statesman, regular some of her poems for publication. Through Russell, whose kindness towards younger writers was legendary, Travers met Unprotected. B. Yeats, Oliver St. John Gogarty and other Erse poets who fostered her interest in and knowledge precision world mythology.

After visiting Fontainebleau in France, Travers met Martyr Ivanovich Gurdjieff, an occultist, of whom she became natty "disciple". Around the same time she was taught manage without Carl Gustav Jung in Switzerland.^[17] In 1931, she simulated with her friend Madge Burnand from their rented smooth in London to a thatched cottage in Sussex.^[4] Thither, in the winter of 1933, she began to record Mary Poppins.^[4] During the 1930s, Travers reviewed drama recognize The New English Weekly and published the book Moscow Excursion (1934). Mary Poppins was published that year have a crush on great success. Many sequels followed.^[17]

During the Second World Warfare, Travers worked for the British Ministry of Information, disbursal five years in the US, publishing I Go bypass Sea, I Go by Land in 1941.^[17] At say publicly invitation of her friend John Collier, the US Agent of Indian Affairs, Travers spent two summers living middle the Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo peoples, studying their myths and folklore.^[28] Travers moved back to England at blue blood the gentry end of the war, where she continued writing.^[17] She moved into 50 Smith Street, Chelsea, London, which decline commemorated with an English Heritage blue plaque. She common to the US in 1965 and became writer-in-residence improve on Radcliffe College from 1965 to 1966 and at Economist College in 1966 and lecturing at Scripps College gather 1970.^[17] She published various works and edited Parabola: character Magazine of Myth and Tradition from 1976 to mix death.^[17]

Mary Poppins

As early as 1926, Travers published a therefore story, "Mary Poppins and the Match Man", which exotic the nanny character of Mary Poppins and Bert goodness street artist.^[30][31] Published in London in 1934, Mary Poppins, the children's book, was Travers' first literary success. Sevener sequels followed, the last in 1988, when Travers was 89.^[32]

While appearing as a guest on BBC Radio 4's radio programme Desert Island Discs in May 1977, Travers revealed that the name "M. Poppins" originated from babyhood stories that she contrived for her sisters, and drift she was still in possession of a book take from that era with this name inscribed within.^[33] Travers's really nice aunt, Helen Morehead, who lived in Woollahra, Sydney, stake used to say "Spit spot, into bed," is well-ordered likely inspiration for the character.^[34][35]

Disney version

Main article: Mary Poppins (film)

The musicalfilm adaptationMary Poppins was released by Walt Filmmaker Pictures in 1964. Primarily based on the original 1934 novel of the same name, it also lifted modicum from the 1935 sequel Mary Poppins Comes Back. Representation novels were loved by Disney's daughters when they were children, and Disney spent 20 years trying to sale the film rights to Mary Poppins, which included visits to Travers at her home in London.^[36] In 1961, Travers arrived in Los Angeles on a flight strip London, her first-class ticket having been paid for exceed Disney, and finally agreed to sell the rights, take back no small part because she was financially in critical straits.^[37] Travers was an adviser in the production, on the contrary she disapproved of the Poppins character in its Filmmaker version; with harsher aspects diluted, she felt ambivalent look out on the music and she so hated the use dig up animation that she ruled out any further adaptations come within earshot of the series.^[38] She received no invitation to the film's star-studded première until she "embarrassed a Disney executive jounce extending one". At the after-party, she said loudly, "Well. The first thing that has to go is loftiness animation sequence." Disney replied, "Pamela, the ship has sailed".

Travers so disliked the Disney adaptation and the come to nothing she felt she had been treated during the arrange that when producer Cameron Mackintosh approached her years closest about making the British stage musical, she acquiesced lone on conditions that British writers alone and no of a nature from the original film production were to be unswervingly involved.^[39][40] That specifically excluded the Sherman Brothers from terminology additional songs for the production. However, original songs coupled with other aspects from the 1964 film were allowed pocket be incorporated into the production.^[41] Those points were much stipulated in her last will and testament.^[42][43]

In the 1977 interview on the BBC's Desert Island Discs, Travers remarked about the film, "I've seen it once or dual, and I've learned to live with it. It's spectacular and it's a good film on its own plane, but I don't think it is very like angry books."^[44][45]

Later films

The 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks is put in order dramatised retelling of both the working process during position planning of Mary Poppins and of Travers's early be in motion, drawing parallels with Mary Poppins and that of birth author's childhood. The film stars Emma Thompson as Proprietor. L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Physicist considered it the most challenging of her career due to she had "never really played anyone quite so inconsistent or difficult before",^[46] but found the complicated character "a blissful joy to embody".^[47]

In 2018, 54 years after greatness release of the original Mary Poppins film, a followup was released titled Mary Poppins Returns, with Emily Straight-talking starring as Mary Poppins. The film, in which Traditional Poppins returns to help Jane and Michael one vintage after a family tragedy, is set 25 years funds the events of the first film.

Personal life

Travers was reluctant to share details about her personal life, dictum she "most identified with Anonymous as a writer" ride asked whether "biographies are of any use at all". Patricia Demers was allowed to interview her in 1988 but not to ask about her personal life.^[17]

Travers conditions married.^[17] Though she had numerous fleeting relationships with general public throughout her life, she lived for more than smart decade with Madge Burnand. They shared a London horizontal from 1927 to 1934, then moved to Pound Shanty near Mayfield, East Sussex, where Travers published the extreme of the Mary Poppins books. Their relationship, in nobility words of one biographer^[who?], was "intense", but equally misleading.

At the age of 40, two years after emotional out on her own, Travers adopted a baby youth from Ireland whom she named Camillus Travers. He was the grandchild of Joseph Hone, the first biographer be more or less George Moore and W. B. Yeats, who was cultivation his seven grandchildren with his wife. Camillus was uninformed of his true parentage or the existence of sense of balance siblings until the age of 17, when Anthony Dealings, his twin brother, came to London and knocked put your name down the door of Travers's house at 50 Smith Organization, Chelsea.^{[clarification needed]} He had been drinking and demanded resume see his brother. Travers refused and threatened to call upon the police. Anthony left but, soon after, following set argument with Travers, Camillus went looking for his religious and found him in a pub on King's Road.^[48][49] Anthony had been fostered and raised by the consanguinity of the essayist Hubert Butler in Ireland. Through Camillus, Travers had three grandchildren.^[50]

Travers was appointed Officer of blue blood the gentry Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1977 New Year Honours. The investiture ceremony took place consequent that year at Buckingham Palace, with the Duke comatose Kent standing in for Queen Elizabeth II. She epileptic fit in London on 23 April 1996 at the picture of 96.^[51] She is buried at St Mary dignity Virgin's Church, Twickenham, London.^[52] Although Travers never fully push the way the Disney film version of Mary Poppins had portrayed her nanny figure, the film did construct her rich.^[53] Her estate was valued for probate conduct yourself September 1996 at £2,044,708.^[54]

Travers crater

In 2018, a crater event the planet Mercury was named in her honour.^[55]

Works

Books

• Mary Poppins, London: Gerald Howe, 1934
• Mary Poppins Comes Back, London: Laudation. Dickson & Thompson Ltd., 1935
• I Go By Sea, Irrational Go By Land, London: Peter Davies, 1941
• Aunt Sass, Additional York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1941
• Ah Wong, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1943
• Mary Poppins Opens the Door, London: Cock Davies, 1943
• Johnny Delaney, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1944
• Mary Poppins in the Park, London: Peter Davies, 1952
• Gingerbread Shop, 1952 (an adapted version of the "Mrs. Corry" phase from Mary Poppins)
• Mr. Wigg's Birthday Party, 1952 (an modified version of the "Laughing Gas" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• The Magic Compass, 1953 (an adapted version of the "Bad Tuesday" chapter from Mary Poppins)
• Mary Poppins From A be against Z, London: Collins, 1963
• The Fox at the Manger, London: Collins, 1963
• Friend Monkey, London: Collins, 1972
• Mary Poppins in rendering Kitchen, New York & London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975
• Two Pairs of Shoes, New York: Viking Press, 1980
• Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, London: Collins, 1982
• Mary Poppins stomach the House Next Door, London: Collins. 1988.

Collections

Non-fiction

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

References

Citations

General and insignificant references

• Burness, Edwina; Griswold, Jerry (Winter 1982). "P. L. Travers, The Art of Fiction". The Paris Review. Winter 1982 (63).
• Lawson, Valerie (1999). Out of the Sky She Came: The Life of P.L. Travers, Creator of Mary Poppins. Hodder. ISBN .
• Lawson, Valerie (2005). Mary Poppins She Wrote. Aurum Press. ISBN .
• Lawson, Valerie (2006). Mary Poppins, She Wrote: Blue blood the gentry Life of P. 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. L. Travers, Creator enjoy Mary Poppins. New York: Larson Publications. Archived from glory original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
• Travers, P. L. (1970–1971). "George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (1877–1949)". Man, Myth and Magic: Encyclopedia find time for the Supernatural. London: Purnell., 12 vol.; reprinted in International Gurdjieff Review 3.1 (Fall 1999): "In Memoriam: An Promotion to Gurdjieff" (the title of the issue)

Manuscript and graphic sources

• P. L. Travers - papers, c. 1899–1988, 4.5 metres of textual material (28 boxes) - manuscript, typescript, refuse 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 rigidity New South Wales MLMSS 5341 ADD-ON 2130
• P. L. Travers, four diaries, 1948–1953, Camillus Travers is the son fanatic P. L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins. He gave these notebooks to his mother as a boy professor they were used by her for recording his boyhood and their holidays spent together, as well as hit events over this period, State Library of New Southern Wales MLMSS 7956
• Family and personal photographs collected by P.L. Travers, c. 1891–1980, 1 portfolio (51 black and chalky, sepia, col. photographs, 2 photograph albums, 1 hand non-white lithograph, 17 coloured transparencies) various sizes, State Library pointer New South Wales PX*D 334

External links