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The Unknown Callas: The Greek Years (Opera Biography)
 
 
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The Unknown Callas: The Greek Years (Opera Biography) (Hardcover)

by Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 672 pages
  • Publisher: Amadeus Press; illustrated edition edition (1 April 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 157467059X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1574670592
  • Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 16.4 x 4.1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 726,641 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
The melodramatic story of the 20th century's greatest soprano, from her birth to Greek-immigrant parents in New York to her international triumphs, has often been chronicled. In all these accounts, however, a key period in her life has gone undocumented: at the age of 13, Maria Callas went to Greece with her mother and sister, and this is where she spent her teenage and early professional years. The heart of this award-winning biography is Callas's life in Athens from 1937 to 1945, years that were critical for her artistic and personal development. In his meticulous research of Athenian archives and through interviews with hundreds of Callas's Greek colleagues and friends, Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis examines her daily life, her early romances and conflicts and the growing rift with her mother. A detailed historical biography, this book reads like a novel.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful  the work of a true historian, 10 Jun 2001
By A Customer
This is an outstanding book which I enjoyed on many levels. Mr Petsalis-Diomidis is obviously a serious historian and his work is founded on detailed research and perceptive interpretation. He has succeeded in unearthing documents, first-hand accounts, photographs and personal objects which provide new insights into Callas' early years - the book's principal focus. The fascinating new evidence the author has found makes this book a true advance in understanding Callas: Mr Petsalis-Diomidis has surely produced the definitive study of Callas' crucial formative years which have hitherto been surprisingly neglected. Mr Petsalis-Diomidis is a true lover of music - his knowledge and understanding of the musical themes shine through and his handling of this, occasionally technical, aspect is always surefooted and accurate. Further he displays a deep affection for, and empathy with, Callas so that this is indeed a book for the true aficionado. But throughout his qualities as a rigorous historian allow him to rein and direct this enthusiasm so that what emerges is a remarkably clear-eyed, accurate and convincing portrait of this complex subject. In this respect this book is a refreshing change from some other recent Callas biographies, which not only lack the freshness of original research, but, more seriously, stray into uncorroborated assertion and sensationalism. Yet, despite and beyond the book's academic character, it reads like a fascinating novel, revealing the traumatic years of the budding primadonna in Nazi occupied Athens, growing up to become both a woman and a musician. The last three chapters bring the story up to Callas's death - avoiding the usual sensational Onassis gossip but making an assessment of its importance - and even beyond, describing the fate of her estate and private papers. Finally, a concise but extremely well-analysed and intelligible reassessment of her importance in the history of Opera brings this really fine book to its conclusion. The treatment of the post-1946 period is naturally brief: it would be a pleasure to see Mr Petsalis-Diomidis apply the same approach to this period some time in the future. I read this book as an insight into Callas but one other aspect came as a pleasant surprise: I found Mr Petsalis-Diomidis' evocation of the ambiguities, difficulties and tragedy of life in occupied Athens really moving. His handling of these complex themes is extraordinarily deft and sensitive. In this respect his book would be fascinating for any historian of modern Greece and indeed of modern Europe. Finally, nothing but praise for the presentation, in particular the excellent illustrations appositely located and captioned, and for the translation, which is fluent and precise throughout.
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