Nothing Left to Give

This chapter, “Nothing Left to Give,” focuses on Callas’s life after the breakup with Onassis. Never a quitter, Callas showed resolve in dealing with the abandonment but was ultimately unable to find meaning in life nor derive satisfaction from her past accomplishments. She accepted the leading role in Pasolini’s film Medea that, despite critical acclaim, was a box office failure. Her master classes at New York’s Juilliard School exposed Callas’s limitation in conveying to others her idiosyncratic artistic skills. Reviving their singing partnership, Callas embarked in 1973 on a year-long concert tour with Giuseppe Di Stefano, the success of which was undermined by her visibly deteriorated voice. Following the tour and the death of Onassis, who continued to be the love of her life, Maria died at age fifty-three, secluded in a Paris apartment. She spent the last decade of her life battling feelings of emptiness, envy, and despair.