Category p l travers biography
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I read Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins ComesBack bygd P.L. Travers as a child in the early 1980’s in Bulgaria, but when inom reread the stories in their original versions a few years ago, and discovered the other books in the series, inom was amazed by P.L.Travers’s imagination. As a child I enjoyed the magic in the stories, but I did not give much thought to the author, although the name was on the cover of my book.
As an adult, however, I wondered where P.L. Travers got her whimsical ideas from. When asked about the ursprung of her magical nanny, she never gave a straight answer. This may be partially explained by her desire to keep people away from her private life. Afterall, she did say in one interview that Mary Poppins was the story of her life, and that she had taken every precaution to cover her tracks. But then in other interviews she said that no one really knows where ideas come from. Her statement about the mystery of the creative writing process is echoed by othe
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Out of the sky she had come, back to the sky she had gone …
When she was child, Lyndon [Helen Lyndon Goff]’s mother would say to her ‘Better be careful or the wind will change and you will look crabby forever …
Frontispiece to Mary Poppins in the Park, “Sitting bolt upright against the tree” (Mary Shepard)
Dear friends and readers,
Some weeks ago I finished reading Valerie Lawson’s marvelous literary biography of Helen Lyndon Goff who insofar as she is known to the world became known as P.L. Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books (1952). The latest title is Mary Poppins, She Wrote. Her life and work belongs on Austen reveries: she was another unconventional spinster writer, part lesbian, with a witty withdrawing mind. I have no proof, but assume she read Austen’s novels. She was a great reader of books of the romantic period.
Lawson’s is a quietly poignant book of about woman who created an idyllic inner world f
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Penelope Lively Travers, known as P. L. Travers, was an Australian-born British writer best known for her beloved children’s book series, Mary Poppins. Travers’ life and works are a fascinating blend of creativity, mysticism, and personal growth.
Early Life and Influences
Pamela Lyndon Travers was born on August 9, 1899, in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. Her father, Travers Goff, worked as a bank manager, and her mother, Margaret, was a suffragette. Travers’ childhood was marked by a mix of fantasy and tragedy. Her father, whom she adored, struggled with alcoholism and died when she was just seven years old. This loss deeply affected Travers and left a lasting imprint on her writing.
Travers’ early exposure to literature and mythology ignited her imagination. She developed a keen interest in folklore, fairy tales, and mystical subjects, which would later find expression in her writing. These formative years laid the foundation for the magical world