Mary Poppins, she wrote : the life of P.L. Travers

by Valerie Lawson   (Get the Book)
Sydney Morning Herald writer Lawson's preface to her biography of P.L. Travers (1899-1996), the creator of Mary Poppins, reads like an introduction to a mystery. This is fitting, since Travers preferred to keep the facts of her personal life hidden; luckily, Lawson is superb at excavating the details. Travers, we learn, held a cherished belief that women experience three phases of life: maiden, mother, and crone, so Lawson divides the book into three corresponding sections. Drawing on archival sources and private papers, she covers Travers's relationship with the poet AE (George William Russell), her dealings with film producer Walt Disney, and her adoption of a son while a single woman. Many pages are devoted to Travers's lifelong spiritual journey, which involved meditation, Zen Buddhism, and several gurus, of which the controversial Gurdjieff became the most influential. At times when discussing Travers's spiritual search, Lawson applies an unfortunate layer of sarcasm. Thankfully, this tendency does not detract significantly from the arresting life revealed here. --Library Journal