| About the Book
Taylor Pero, best selling Hollywood biographer, and
researcher, Patrick Byrne, have put together a compelling and
entertaining picture of the life of Maria Callas. They trace her
meteoric trajectory across a dazzling sky filled with other
fascinating celebrities and luminaries, but the heavenly body called
Callas outshone them all. For one brief moment in time, Callas
burned brightly in the operatic heavens, then her glittering fire
splintered and died. The light from that star can still be seen
today.
The Colors of Callas brims with delicious tales, many
never told before, from a tempestuous life that spanned five
decades. At the end of Callas’ life, while her legend continued to
grow, she lived out a sort of “Sunset Boulevard” in her lavish
Paris apartment, surrounded by memories of a life filled with
passion and reminders of a passionate career. It is from this unique
viewpoint that we are allowed to relive, through the amazing black
eyes of Maria, the vibrantly painted chapters of her life, the
colors of Callas.
REVIEW:
"She was the most celebrated singer of the Twentieth Century.
The sensational quality of her voice electrified millions of opera
fans the world over. She was, of course, Maria Callas, the most
written about singer of her time. Countless books and newspaper and
magazine articles whetted the appetites of idolatrous fans who
clamored to know still more about her. Since her premature death
twenty-five years ago
there's been
a substantial production of obtainable material, by now all too
familiar.
The truly devoted who continue to hold her in awe will feast on The
Colors of Callas. The authors have skillfully woven a fine
tapestry of events, with each chapter identified by a distinct
color. This unique treatment allows the reader an unprecedented,
near-touching closeness to Callas, as she sets her thoughts on the
past.
With each fact of her career and private life meticulously studied,
this impressive book, with an enormous amount of compelling
information, will lay to rest the belief that Maria Callas was not
human.
The authors, intense in their high regard for Maria Callas, delight
in recounting her reflections of Milan's La Scala. Seeming to have a
supernatural effect on La Scala, for ten years Callas wore the
sparkling crown of prima donna assoluta.
An essential work, The Colors of Callas adroitly evaluates
the course of events of the years that followed her retirement. In
the last chapter the authors, manifesting unusual depth and
sincerity of feeling and directness, move us still closer to their
subject. The chroniclers of this explicit memoir are not to be
denied far-reaching approval for their civil, heart-rending
handling...the dispassionate, those insensible to sadness, are
certain to dampen a tissue or two."
--
Julie Charles
Miss
Charles is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and journalist. She
has had four novels published. Her first, Ko Kara, became a
TV series, The Landlord. Her motion picture credits include
the film, The Eight Medal. Her journalistic career includes
the Montreal Star, Toronto Saturday Night, and the Vancouver
Province. Her work as foreign correspondent for the Hellenic Times
and Hellenic Chronicle involved extensive coverage of opera and
concert, most importantly the Greek-American, Maria Callas.
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