Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. L. Travers Paperback - 2013

The only comprehensive biography of P.L. TraversâÈ'the fascinating woman who created Mary Poppins, the events in this book inspired DisneyâÈçs movie Saving Mr. Banks, starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks.

The story of Mary Poppins, the quintessentially English and utterly magical childrenâÈçs nanny, is remarkable enough. She flew into the lives of the unsuspecting Banks family in a childrenâÈçs book that was instantly hailed as a classic, then became a household name when Julie Andrews stepped into the starring role in Walt DisneyâÈçs hugely successful and equally classic film. Now she is a sensation all over againâÈ'both on Broadway and in DisneyâÈçs upcoming film Saving Mr. Banks.

Saving Mr. Banks retells many of the stories in Valerie LawsonâÈçs biography Mary Poppins, She Wrote, including P. L. TraversâÈçs move from London to Hollywood and her struggles with Walt Disney as he adapted her novel for the big screen. Travers, whom Disney accused of vanity for âÈêthinking she knows more about Mary Poppins than I do,âÈë was a poet and world-renowned author as tart and opinionated as AndrewsâÈçs big-screen Mary Poppins was cheery and porcelain-beautiful. Yet it was a love of mysticism and magic that shaped TraversâÈçs life as well as the very character of Mary Poppins. The clipped, strict, and ultimately mysterious nanny who emerged from her pen was the creation of someone who remained inscrutable and enigmatic to the end of her ninety-six years.

Valerie LawsonâÈçs illuminating biography provides the first full look at the life of the woman and writer whose personal journey is as intriguing as her beloved characters.