Customer Reviews

Callas by Callas: The Secret Writings of La Maria

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I was somewhat perplexed by the earlier review as it had nothing whatsoever to do with the book. While Maria Callas was not an articulate spokesperson, we do, in the volume, have a rare glimpse of the inner woman as well as the outer persona. The photographs were particularly good, and surprisingly intact considering that they must have been rather old when incorporated into this volume. And, above all, they were not the 'usual old photos of Maria Callas'. For fans of hers and even if you are not, there's a lot of meat in this volume especially after most of what has been printed about her is of the coffee table variety without much substance.

A beautiful and worthwhile book on Maria Callas, in a sort of guise of coffee table tome. The ivory flap cover is almost Raphaelite, but it's the photos inside really worth the price of admission. The text has little that's new. Pieces of Callas' private diaries and letters provide a unique, not extensive glance at her private life, forming at times a melancholy sense of a tenuous woman's personal fears and difficulties. Refuting a rumor that Meneghini wanted her to stop singing altogether, she denied that was his view, saying "It is not his view, because if it were I would never have sung again." Some interesting bits on Elsa Maxwell, who was apparently in love with Callas, and some of the finest photographs of Maria I've seen anywhere. The book is a genuine homage to her art, and there's nothing cheap or filler about it. It's an experience to dominate any Callas lover for a few hours, and the kind of book you can return to repeatedly. Molto recommendation.

This is one of the most physically appealing Callas books on the market, although it is riddled with factual errors. The photos are cleverly utilitzed to fill space and add drama to what is eseentially a fluff job of writing. Would add it to any serious Callas collection for sheer visual impact.

Although the book is laced with some lovely, rare photographs, the text itself was written in a shabby, European "giallo" format; the translation is clumsy with many typos and ridiculous titles such as "The Callas Age" rather than "The Age of Callas." Many of the stories are unfounded and somewhat sensational, and the knowledge of music history that is published here is less than erudite. I sold it to Strand for $3.

One cannot copyright titles

I don't think this book should be named this way. There is already a very good and classic romance novel by Jorge Isaac from Colombia South America by the same name. In fact his book was made in a beautiful motion picture called LA MARIA . Also this rea lovel story was done in a" telenovela" or daily episod of this novel on national television in Colombia .