Maria Callas is a biographer"s dream. Born into poverty, she turned herself from ugly duckling into beautiful swan and in the process became the most celebrated diva of the 20th century. She breathed life, drama and passion into an art form that had hitherto remained the preserve of an intellectual élite, and was single-handedly responsible for turning opera from an arts page side show to front page news. Her bust-ups with the New York Met and her disastrous love life culminating in her tragic obsession with Aristotle Onassis were as enthralling as her voice, and there was a depressing inevitability about her mysterious early death in 1977, aged 54. It"s hardly surprising, then, that there have been any number of books written about Callas. Most have been little more than well-researched cuttings jobs. Callas spent nearly 30 years in the public eye and there is any amount of material on public record. What separates Galatopoulos from the rest is the wealth of previously unpublished material. He is stronger than most on Callas"s early years--particularly the German occupation of Greece during the Second World War--which is a period many writers try to ignore, as Callas was accused by many Greek patriots of having been a traitor to her country by continuing to perform for the Nazis in the Athens opera house. Galatopoulos is quick to absolve her of any charges of collaboration. This is probably a correct assessment, though he falls short of labelling her and her mother as the ruthless careerists and opportunists they undoubtedly were. Herein lies both the strength and weakness of the book. Galatapoulos was a close personal friend of Callas; as such he was privy to her most private thoughts and he offers us some fascinating new insights into her husband, Gianbattista Meneghini, her lover, Aristotle Onassis, and her mother. What he doesn"t always do, though, is maintain a critical eye. Whenever he deals with anything controversial, he is always happy to give Callas the benefit of the doubt. But all this is really a minor quibble. Overall, Galatopoulos does a superb job in recreating the opera world of the 1940s through to the 1970s and he excels in his assessment of Callas"s artistic achievements. Maria Callas--Sacred Monster isn"t the final word on the diva, but it"s as close as makes no difference. --John Crace