A Lively Oracle: A Centennial Celebration of P.L. Travers, Magical Creator of Mary Poppins [Paperback]

Ellen Dooling Draper (Author)

Book Description

Everyone knows Mary Poppins--at least her Disneyfied version--but how many know her creator was a brilliant, mysterious woman with many other fascinating accomplishments?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

We learn in this fascinating collection of essays and interviews that P.L. Travers, the British creator of Mary Poppins, bristled when asked about dates and places and influences because she knew that banal facts could never convey her sense of living in the midst of a great mystery. Offering only the barest sketch of her outer life (Travers was born in Australia and became a student of the mystic G.I. Gurdjieff, W.B. Yeats and others), this work celebrates Travers as an oracle of insights and connections that came to her because she had mastered the art and discipline of opening up to reality. Draper, former editor of Parabola magazine (which Travers helped found), and Koralek, an English children's author and friend of Travers's, present a Travers who is not the sum of her biographical parts but a soul in question, a pilgrim on an ever-deepening journey toward an unknown home. "Perhaps we are looking for miracles," wrote Travers. "Most certainly we are looking for meaning. We want the fox not to eat the hare, we want the opposites reconciled." Not every piece here shines. Reminiscences by Jim George and Paul Jordan-Smith come off as self-aggrandizing rather than illuminating. The best entries, however, including interviews by Jonathan Cott and Sir Laurens Van der Post, and essays by Martha Heyneman and others, explore the work and mind of a woman who was seeking that place of profound connection and reconciliation we read about in fairy tales, "where the fox and the hare say goodnight to each other." This is an unusual, rewarding volume. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Larson Publications (November 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943914949
• ISBN-13: 978-0943914947
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,369,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than Mary Poppins!!, July 20, 2009

By 

Joseph Madia Jr. "author" (Fairmont, West Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Lively Oracle: A Centennial Celebration of P.L. Travers, Magical Creator of Mary Poppins (Paperback)

Everyone knows Disney's Mary Poppins, but what of Mary's creator, P. L. Travers? This collection of twenty essays (three by Travers herself) not only reconnects the author with her most famous work, but illuminates the vibrant thoughts, expressive writing, and lifetime of exploration into myths, fairy tales, and folklore that were the true passions of this gifted writer.

The Introduction gives the reader glimpses into the breadth and scope of Travers' life and outlines the vast terrain to be covered. In these pages we meet a private woman who asked in her will that no biographies be written about her. Instead, the editors have gathered an impressive array of authors, editors, and friends who knew Travers professionally and personally to shed some light on her life.

Part One comprises two essays, which are an invaluable resource in understanding Travers' origins and influences. Part Two contains two essays on Mary Poppins. Koralek's piece looks at the six books in the series and their relationship to the Disney film. Sibley's contribution elaborates on the Disney adaptation and Travers' role in the journey. Sibley is in a unique position to discuss this intriguing tale of artistic wills--he worked with Travers on a script for a never-produced sequel to the film. What is of interest here is just how different the film is from the intent of the author. Travers, who served as a consultant on the film (in title, at least), resisted relinquishing the rights for a full decade after meeting Walt Disney, and Sibley details "many tempestuous meetings" between Travers and the production staff. Part Three considers Friend Monkey, About the Sleeping Beauty, and The Fox at the Manger. The authors do a wonderful job of providing analysis not so much for its own academic sake but rather intrinsically linked to the influences and themes buzzing around Travers.

The fourth part expands on Travers' fascination with the world of myth. The first essay looks at Travers' contributions to Parabola. Over 15 years she contributed over 40 articles and stories. The third essay is a culinary metaphor called "A Writer Worth Her Salt" by the aptly named Rob Baker that illuminates Travers' editorial relationship and input with Parabola staff. The essays by Trebbe Johnson and Feenie Ziner that conclude the "Themes" section are equally entertaining and enlightening. Part Five is a bridge between others writing about P.L. Travers and the final section, which presents some of her works. The three contributors to this section share their excerpts of conversations and interviews with Travers with an unmitigated joy and respect that truly brings home the tremendous impact that she had on so many people. Jonathan Cotts' reminiscences about her garden I found particularly touching.

For the writer and reader who goes daily swimming in the depths of myth, fair-tale, and folklore, this collection--and the broad range of works by its intriguing subject--will be a resource gone back to again and again.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb collection of articles, essays & biography., February 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Lively Oracle: A Centennial Celebration of P.L. Travers, Magical Creator of Mary Poppins (Paperback)

Most will be familiar with the author P.L. Travers as the creator of the Mary Poppins series: this biographical sketch expands upon the Travers details, covering her enthusiasm for poetry, her world travels, her acting abilities and encounters with sages and famous personalities. Articles by a variety of contributors provide many different aspects of Pamela Travers' personality and achievements.