KALTBLUT-HONK! 03 The Divas

16
What our ways
of
dealing
with
the
exceptional
might say about
our
societies
by Thomas Langnickel-Stiegler
When Elizabeth Taylor died in March, some newspapers and
magazines spoke of her having been the “last diva”. Undoubtedly,
The Taylor was one of the last great actresses of Hollywood’s
Golden Age. Being one of the most famous film stars
of her time, she was adored not only for her acting, but also
for her glamorous lifestyle and her beauty (especially her distinctive
double eyelashes).
Strictly speaking, she wasn’t the last of her kind,
though. Even 30 years after the death of Maria “La
Divina” Callas, there are still a couple of classical
divas who are very much alive. Within the opera
world Spanish soprano singer Montserrat Caballé,
who celebrated her 78th birthday this April, is
referred to as “La Superba”, meaning that she has
reached the status of a diva. American soprano
Renée Fleming is also known as “the people’s diva”
– due to her “modest suburban upbringing in rural
New York”, as The Observer put it. As for Liz Taylor’s
colleagues: just think of 76-year-old Oscar-,
Golden Globe-, Grammy-, and BAFTA-winning
Italian actress Sophia Loren, who gained the status
of a diva in the 1960s, when she was one of the
most popular actresses in the world.
Then again, considering the whole package of ideas
that colloquial language has attributed to someone
being a diva, Liz Taylor may just as well have been
one of the last to combine great talent and success
on the one hand with a glamorous appearance,