P.L. Travers

Who Was P.L. Travers?

P.L. Travers was a renowned author best known for creating the beloved character Mary Poppins. Her vivid imagination and passion for storytelling were evident from a young age, as she began writing stories and poems early in life. Before fully committing to writing, Travers had a brief career in theater, but it was her move to London that solidified her path as a writer. In London, she became acquainted with literary figures, including the famous Irish poet William Butler Yeats.

The Mary Poppins series, for which she became famous, was inspired by Travers’ own experiences entertaining young children and her deep love for mythology. Although the Disney adaptation of Mary Poppins brought her significant wealth, Travers remained fiercely protective of her work and was notoriously private, often expressing dissatisfaction with the liberties taken by the film. Despite the success, she found the process challenging and was not entirely pleased with the outcome, adding complexity to her legacy.

Early Life

P.L. Travers, born Helen Lyndon Goff on August 9, 1899, in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, had a childhood shaped by both privilege and adversity. Her mother, Margaret Agnes Morehead, was the sister of Queensland’s Premier, while her father, Travers Goff, was a struggling bank manager whose alcoholism contributed to his early death when Travers was just seven years old. Following his passing, the family relocated to New South Wales, where they were supported by a great aunt, who would later inspire the character “Aunt Sass” in Travers’ writing.

Despite these challenges, Travers had a vivid imagination from a young age. Known as Lyndon during her childhood, she developed a love for fairy tales and nature, often referring to herself whimsically as a “hen.” Her intellectual curiosity emerged early, as she tackled ambitious reading material like The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire while still in her teens. She also began publishing poetry in Australian magazines, marking the start of her literary career.

Travers later adopted the stage name Pamela Lyndon Travers, a popular name choice at the time, as she pursued a career as a dancer and Shakespearean actress. Though she achieved some success, her wealthy relatives disapproved of her artistic ambitions. Feeling that the Australian cultural scene lacked the lyricism and wit she desired, Travers moved to London to immerse herself in the literary world.

Books: ‘Mary Poppins’

Pamela Lyndon Travers, author of Mary Poppins, began her career in journalism in Australia, where she wrote travel stories for local publications. After moving to England, she contributed articles and poetry to various papers, including The Irish Statesman. Its editor, George William Russell, also known by his pseudonym AE, became a significant mentor and lifelong supporter of Travers. Her deep interest in Irish mythology, inspired by childhood stories from her father, enriched her friendship with Russell. Through him, Travers also formed connections with poet William Butler Yeats and engaged in mystical studies with G.I. Gurdjieff, further exploring her mythological interests.

Travers’s first book, Moscow Excursion (1934), was born from her travel-writing experience. However, it was Mary Poppins, published in the same year, that brought her worldwide fame. The idea for the book came as she recovered from a lung ailment, during which she entertained visiting children with stories of a magical nanny who could fly with a parrot-headed umbrella and hold tea parties on the ceiling. Mary Poppins was an immediate success, and Travers went on to write seven more books in the series, including Mary Poppins Comes Back (1935), Mary Poppins Opens the Door (1943), and Mary Poppins and the House Next Door (1988). All of the books were illustrated by Mary Shepard, daughter of Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator E.H. Shepard, despite a somewhat strained relationship between the two.

During World War II, Travers worked for the UK’s Ministry of Information and later spent time living on a Navajo reservation in Arizona, where she was given an Indian name, which she kept private. Despite the enduring popularity of the Mary Poppins books, Travers was determined to be recognized for more than children’s literature. She wrote young adult novels, a play, and essays on mythology, and lectured on symbolism, often fearing that she would not be taken seriously as a writer. She also served as a writer-in-residence at Radcliffe and Smith colleges, although her tenure in these roles was not well received.

The 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, brought Travers immense wealth but not without personal reservations—she reportedly wept at the premiere, disapproving of certain elements. The 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks, starring Emma Thompson as Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, depicts the behind-the-scenes story of the adaptation of Mary Poppins to the screen. Despite her complex feelings about the film, Travers’s creation remains a beloved classic, cementing her legacy in literary history.

Personal Life

Known for her intensely private nature and sometimes difficult personality, P.L. Travers never married. However, she shared a close relationship with Madge Burnand, a longtime companion, leading to speculation about a potential romantic involvement. In 1939, Travers adopted a son, Camillus, one of two Irish twin boys, though she chose not to adopt both. Years later, Camillus unexpectedly encountered his twin in a pub, unaware of his true origins. In 1999, author Valerie Lawson published a revealing biography titled Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P.L. Travers, shedding light on many previously hidden aspects of Travers’ personal life.

Death and Legacy

In 1977, P.L. Travers was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She lived to the age of 96, passing away in London on April 23, 1996, due to complications from an epileptic seizure.

Travers had once contemplated writing Goodbye, Mary Poppins to conclude the story of the iconic governess. However, she ultimately chose not to pursue this due to strong opposition from both her readers and publishers. In 2004, a stage musical adaptation of Mary Poppins, more faithful to Travers’ original depiction of the character, premiered in London. The legacy of her creation was further cemented through the enduring popularity of the song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” made famous in the Disney adaptation, written by the Sherman Brothers, and performed by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. This whimsical word has since become a lasting part of the English language.