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Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. L. Travers

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Valerie Lawson has done something P. L. Travers claimed she didn't want anyone to do: write her biography. It's a very good book. Travers discouraged personal questions in interviews, and preferred to discuss her work and, in later years, her philosophy of life -- the essence of experience as opposed to the mundane details of living. Lawson makes the case that if Travers had been serious about this she would have destroyed her papers -- which she decidedly did not do. Whatever her true feelings on the matter, this is a fascinating book, filled with insights into Travers' life and work, and with a respectable amount of attention to the work itself, especially the meanings and importance of the Mary Poppins books.

I think Lawson gives somewhat short shrift to Travers work with Parabola magazine, which is some of her most brilliant writing -- inspiring to thousands of her readers, and collected in the now out of print "What the Bee Knows." (Note to publishers: bring it back!) You may also find out more than you want to known about her endless toing and froing with Disney, and the ways in which the movie deal echoed through the last thirty years of her life.

But Lawson also gives the first comprehensive account of Travers' private life, her involvement AE and Gurdieff, her adoption of one twin, her son Camillus, and her early career as an actress. Her love affairs are touched on.

I'm not sure, in the end, if all the private matters, interesting as they may be, really add to our understanding of Travers' work, though Lawson makes some persuasive connections between the fantasy and the reality. Mary Poppins herself, the Great Exception, survives the biography with her mystery intact, and in spite of Lawson's sympathetic and thorough craftsmanship, so does Travers. For those of us lucky ones who count Travers as a touchstone in our lives, that's just fine. Questions without answers can often be more satisfying than the other kind.

For anyone who loves Mary Poppins, in any or all of her incarnations, this book serves as a great introduction to the evolution of the character. The biography paints a great portrait of the woman best known as the creator of Mary Poppins, while being quite blunt about her shortcomings, personality quirks, and key moments and people in her life which are all reflected somewhere in the text of the Mary Poppins books. Knowing what makes this author tick makes reading the Poppins books themselves a more meaningful experience as the reader can harken back to anecdotes and philosophies that Travers liberally sprinkled throughout the world of Cherry Tree Lane.

My favorite part of the book is the no-holds-barred retelling of Travers' negotiations with Walt Disney for the move rights, and subsequent alienation she encountered while becoming a thorn in the side to the production, so much so that she wasn't invited to the Hollywood premiere and almost literally crashed the event. This reaffirms everything I know from listening to the commentary of the film, as well as the Sherman Brothers remembrances of Travers' less than helpful suggestions for the movie.

If you love to hear about the behind-the-scenes goings on on film sets as much as I do, the chapter on the Disney movie will be a favorite.

Lawson provides some information on a fellow Australian, who despite protestations to the contrary, may have wanted someone to present a biography of her. Travers left notes and diaries but it appears to be information and not real knowledge. Her life was mirage, down to her name, national allegiance and way of relating to her mentors, adopted son and sponsor, Walt Disney and his staff.

The book tells the story as much as it can be told.

As a discerning reader may suspect from the title of the book "Mary Poppins, She Wrote", there seems to be a lack of deep thought invested in this biography of P.L. Travers. There is no doubt that Valerie Lawson thoroughly researched her subject, but I do not think she invested enough time in processing and writing. Or perhaps her editor fell short. The book was disappointing for me, but I read it to the end, as I imagine many fans of Travers will do, because it was my first chance to glimpse the author behind Mary Poppins.
One of the most disappointing aspects of the book was Lawson's apparent disdain for Travers, and Travers's work beyond Mary Poppins. Why spend so much time on a person whom you appear to disrespect? Travers had friends and loved ones throughout her life but Lawson focuses on her negative qualities and failed relationships without illumination into her greater qualities.
Some of the book seems like page fillers, too, like a student beefing up an essay to fulfill word count. And the historical background of movements and famous figures Travers came in contact with (there were a lot of them) is suspect for me, because the section on Krisnamurti does not jive with the biography I recently read of him (Star in the East...).
The illustrations were also disappointing. Lawson refers to many photos which are not included; instead we get pages of Disney memorabilia and illustrations from Poppins books as well as a few photos of Travers and friends.
"Mary Poppins, She Wrote" is worth reading for those curious about Travers's life, because there is nothing better available.