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.


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?

FROM THE PUBLISHER

P.L. Travers co-founded and was a guiding light for Parabola for many years. Friends & colleagues celebrate the work and many surprising factes of the brilliant mythologist/poet, best known for writing Mary Poppins. Contributers: Laurens van der Post, Jonathan Cott, Philip Zaleski, Martha Heyneman, Trebbe Johnson, Brian Sibley, Rob Baker, Ben Haggarty, Adrian House, Feenie Ziner, Paul Jordan-Smith, plus memories from Julie Andrews and three essays from P.L. Travers nor available elsewhere.

FROM THE CRITICS

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 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Many authors of children's books claim not to have written specifically for children. Lewis Carroll, for instance, did not write of Alice's adventures for children, or even for the specific child Alice. Fairy tales were not originally written for children. And four books of stories about one of the world's most beloved characters, Mary Poppins, were written by an erudite, talented woman who felt that, rather than her choosing children as her readers, children chose her books to read and love. This volume is a compilation of essays by and about Travers and her work. In five of six parts, authors and scholars try to ferret out the magic behind her "worlds beyond worlds." They try to analyze her life in Australia, England and the U.S., although her insistence on privacy makes analysis difficult. They determine the themes of her books besides the Mary Poppins series, and link Travers to mythology and fairy tales. There are lectures, essays, interviews, plus three articles by Travers herself. An "Afterword" in alphabet-book form, contributors' biographies, and a detailed index make the book complete¾so complete, in fact, that between content and style, there is nothing here for younger children. Philosophically, the book ranges from Tolkien to Gurdjieff to Zoroastrian scripture. Even a reasonably well-educated adult will find it difficult, if captivating, reading. Keep an encyclopedia handy. For adult fans of Travers' work. 1999, Larson Publications, $15.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Judy Silverman

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

This book will help us see why we have been so touched and delighted by P.L. Travers. — Jacob Needleman