Maria Callas

Arianna Huffington

From Shelf: Series 4 Episode 5 with Kate Bottle, Emily Sande, Pierre Novellie and Adrian Scarborough

Legendary soprano Maria Callas, whose singing was as sensational as her life, is the subject of this biography by author and columnist Huffington. Huffington tells of Callas' transformation from a shy, chubby girl into one of the greatest opera singers of all time, her passionate love affair with Aristotle Onassis, and her ill-fated marriage.

For millions of people, the great soprano Maria Callas (1923-1977) remains the focus of such unparalleled fascination that there is still no higher praise for singers than "...the best since Callas." In this biography, Callas' career is brought brilliantly to life, from her transformation from a chubby, painfully shy girl into a magnificent, celebrated soprano, to her conflict with her larger-than-life image. Huffington makes this struggle, which was at the center of her life, also the center of the biography. Using a wealth of previously unpublished material and numerous first-hand interviews, Huffington documents Callas' interminable conflict with her mother, her deeply emotional relationship with her voice, the gradual unraveling of her first marriage, her passionate love affair with of Aristotle Onassis, her agony and humiliation at his leaving her, and her secret abortion.