Editing P. L. Travers (section)

{{short description|Australian-British novelist, actress and journalist (1899–1996)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->|
| resting_place = St Mary the Virgin's Church, [[Twickenham]], London
| image = P.L. Travers as Titania in a production with Alan Wilkie.jpg 
| caption = Travers in the role of [[Titania (A Midsummer Night's Dream)|Titania]] in a production of ''[[A&nbsp;Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', {{circa|1924|lk=yes}}
| pseudonym = Pamela Lyndon Travers
| birth_name = Helen Lyndon Goff
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1899|8|9}}
| birth_place = [[Maryborough, Queensland|Maryborough]], [[Colony of Queensland]], British Empire
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1996|04|23|1899|08|09}}
| death_place = [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], London, England
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| nationality = <!-- use only when necessary per [[WP:INFONAT]] -->
| occupation = {{hlist|Writer|actress|journalist}}
| period = 
| genre = Children's literature, fantasy
| notableworks = ''[[Mary Poppins (book series)|Mary Poppins]]'' book series
| movement = 
| spouse = 
| partner = 
| children = 1
| relatives = 
}}

'''Pamela Lyndon Travers''' {{postnominals|OBE}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|r|æ|v|ər|z}} {{respell|TRAV|ərz}}; born '''Helen Lyndon Goff'''; 9 August 1899 – 23 April 1996) was an Australian-born British writer who spent most of her career in England.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/603648/PL-Travers "P.L. Travers (British author)"]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.</ref> She is best known for the [[Mary Poppins (book series)|''Mary Poppins'' series]] of books,<ref>These are usually classified as children's books, but Travers stated many times that they were not written for children.</ref> which feature the [[:wikt:eponym|eponymous]] [[Mary Poppins (character)|magical nanny]].

Goff was born in [[Maryborough, Queensland]], and grew up in the [[The bush|Australian bush]] before being sent to boarding school in Sydney. Her writing was first published when she was a teenager, and she also worked briefly as a professional [[Shakespearean actress]]. Upon emigrating to England at the age of 24, she took the name "Pamela Lyndon Travers" and adopted the pen name '''P. L. Travers''' in 1933 while writing the first of eight ''Mary Poppins'' books.

Travers travelled to New York City during [[World War II]] while working for the [[Ministry of Information (United Kingdom)|British Ministry of Information]]. At that time, [[Walt Disney]] contacted her about selling to [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Productions]] the rights for a film adaptation of ''Mary Poppins''. After years of contact, which included visits to Travers at her home in London, Walt Disney obtained the rights and the film [[Mary Poppins (film)|''Mary Poppins'']] premiered in 1964. 

In 2004, a [[Mary Poppins (musical)|stage musical adaptation]] of the books and the film opened in the [[West End theatre|West End]]; it premiered on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 2006. A film based on Disney's efforts to persuade Travers to sell him the ''Mary Poppins'' film rights was released in 2013, ''[[Saving Mr. Banks]]'', in which Travers is portrayed by [[Emma Thompson]]. In a 2018 sequel to the original film, ''[[Mary Poppins Returns]]'', Poppins, played by [[Emily Blunt]], returns to help the Banks family once again.