Greek Fire: The Story of Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine copy/fine. First edition. 8vo. Two-tone boards. Pp. xxii, 424. Illustrated. Onassis Family Tree. Notes. Index. Schematic drawings of the Yacht "Christina" on end-papers. Near fine copy in dj.

Callas was introduced to Onassis at a ball thrown in her honor on 3 September 1957 in Venice by the odious gossip columnist, Elsa Maxwell, who considered both of them her protégés. For Maxwell, though, it was a bit more than that, because she "felt herself wounded by Eros," such was Callas' appeal. In any event, in July 1959—and with Maxwell excluded to her great chagrin—Onassis arranged a cruise on his luxurious yacht for his two favorite celebrities, Winston Churchill and Maria Callas. One might wonder what she saw in Onassis, for "It is difficult to understand how a squat, swarthy man with an oversized nose, wearing dark sunglasses and baggy clothes, could cause such excitement wherever he went (although someone once remarked, 'He looked a lot taller when he stood on his money')." But Maria saw him quite differently. Here is what she told a music critic: "In Monte Carlo, where the cruise began, I was very impressed by his charm but above all by his powerful personality and the way he would hold everybody's attention. Not only was he full of life, he was a source of life. Even before I had a chance to talk to him along for any length of time … I began to feel strangely relaxed. I had found a friend, the kind that I'd never had before and so urgently needed at the time."