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

by Ellen Dooling Draper

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?

Genres: Essays, Biography, Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 1999

Reviews

[Beth]

This book is a mixed bag of essays: some Travers and essay writers' experiences either interviewing her or working with her on Parabola, some on Mary Poppins, some on her other works, and some by the author herself. Travers's essays are interesting, as are the ones about her and about Mary Poppins. The other works chapter... the one on About The Sleeping Beauty is interesting (I've always been a sucker for a good folk/fairy tale analysis). The one on "Friend Monkey" is downright gatekeep-y ("America doesn't know Hanuman"), and The Fox in the Manger essay might be more accessible to someone who is actually Christian.
If you're good at getting yourself to skip chapters (these 10 days I am not) you might be ok.
The best thing I learned about this is a Mary Poppins book I didn't know about came out in the late 80s (I think around the time folks were trying to wean me off children's books.)

[Apostolos Poulios]

An excellent collection of essays about the creator of Mary Poppins. Brian Sibley's chapters stand out.

[Amy]

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested P.L. Travers or Mary Poppins. This is the esoteric side of Travers, containing essays by her, and thought provoking essayes about Travers by Jonathan Cott, Martha Heyneman, James George, Phil Zaleski, Ellen Dooling Draper, Brian Sibley, Paul Jordan-Smith ane more.

Very relevant with the release of Saving Mr. Banks. http://larsonpublications.com/book-de....

[Diane]

probably 3.5 or 3.75 stars. I liked the book, but it was a collection of essays on PL Travers and not a traditional biography.