MARIA LA DIVINA

The tempestuous ups and downs of Maria Callas are captured in the latest of Charyn’s fictionalized celebrity portraits.

Preternatural artistic force, persecuted diva, emotionally abused daughter, demanding lover—they all are on display in this reimagined life of the ultimate diva. The novel opens in Athens, where 13-year-old Maria Kalogeropoulos has moved with her mother and sister from poor circumstances in New York to study with the once-notable Spanish coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo. Maria’s vocals immediately astound, especially coming from such a physically unprepossessing girl. With her hulking looks and headstrong personality, she must overcome the snippy disfavor of critics and fellow students. But with the Nazi invasion of Greece as a backdrop, her star rises through her relationships with powerful men including Aristotle Onassis—the love of her life, who sends her into deep despair by dumping her for Jackie Kennedy. All of these events and encounters and settings (including Venice) speed by in Charyn’s nonstop narrative, daring the reader to keep up. Winston Churchill, incontinent and prone to violent fits, makes an appearance. So does Grace Kelly, whose smile, through Callas’ eyes, is “fictitious” and who “could barely string together two sentences that made sense.” Charyn is at his best getting inside the creative process, offering insight into Callas’ mastery of bel canto and the unfixable “wobble” in her throat that helped define her. We learn how her poor vision prevents her from seeing the conductor’s baton and requires her to memorize where everything is placed onstage. And then there’s the key role played by her beloved canaries, singing partners to the end.

More can be less in this overstuffed account, but it should be fine with Callas devotees.