Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography Paperback - 2003

First line

UNLIKE THE OTHER Greek immigrants on the huge ship taking them from Athens to New York City, George and Evangelia Dimitriadis Kalogeropoulos and their six-year-old daughter, Yacinthy (Jackie) occupied a cabin in the first-class section.

From the rear cover

"Even those with little interest in opera or celebrity will be swept into this tale.... Edwards's riveting book is sure to prompt new interest in Callas's dramatic life." ---Publishers Weekly

"[Callas's] tumultuous life could be the subject of an opera, and Edwards negotiates it with the skill and ease of a seasoned conductor."---Booklist

Maria Callas, the prima donna who continues to mesmerize the world twenty-five years after her death, was born to Greek immigrant parents in New York City in 1923. Callas was a classic ugly duckling who struggled for years before transforming herself into a glamorous, almost mythical opera star.

From her early days as a poor, overweight singer with an undeniable yet uneven singing talent, to her physical and emotional breakdowns, and her passionate love affair with Aristotle Onassis, who would discard her for the widowed Jacqueline Kennedy---Anne Edwards brings readers a revealing portrait of the hardships, loves, and triumphs of Maria Callas.

Anne Edwards, who has been hailed as "the queen of biography" by Kirkus Reviews, is the author of many bestselling biographies, including Katharine Hepburn: A Remarkable Woman and Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led. She currently lives in Beverly Hills, California.