Zero Mostel Reads a Book/Read Zero Mostel
Bibliographic Details
- Title
- Zero Mostel Reads a Book / 読書するゼロ・モステル
- Author
- Robert Frank / ロバート・フランク
- Publisher
- New York Times
- Year
- 1963
- Size
- h225 × w153 × d9mm
- Weight
- 230g
- Pages
- 44 page
- Language
- English / 英語
- Binding
- Hardcover / ハードカバー
It was offered to American Booksellers Association conventioneers by the New York Times. A series of amusing photographs and an early piece of Frank ephemera, which was published as a keepsake for the American Booksellers Association conventioneers by the New York Times; it was not offered for sale to the general public. N° de ref. ニューヨーク・タイムズ紙がアメリカ書店協会の大会参加者に提供したもの。ニューヨーク・タイムズ紙がアメリカン・ブックセラーズ協会の大会参加者のために記念品として出版したもので、一般には販売されなかった。
The role of the performer
How to place a photo
How to read a book
Only a masterpiece can make you feel sad that the remaining pages are running out. The photographer tells us the story through the words of the photograph, and the actor translates the emotions into actions and gestures. Robert Frank and Mostel did a perfect job.
The photographer was Robert Frank (1924-2019), who exposed the dark side of the American Dream in "The Americans." The subject was Zero Mostel (1915-1977), a comedian active from the 1940s to the 1970s. With each turn of the page, Mostel is captured intently engrossed in the book, capturing his humorous expressions while creating a cinematic image.
"Reading a book" is not an uncommon subject, and many women engrossed in reading have been depicted by Matisse, Vermeer, and Seiki Kuroda. Their expressions are defenseless, beautiful, and tranquil. However, Zero Mostel reads books while expressing shock, indignation, and laughter, as if to betray the image of reading that had existed up until then. It's like a scene from a movie.
The inside of the book has a pop design, but the contents are very simple. But, what makes this book so eloquent? Even though it only has a picture of a chubby man reading a book, you can almost hear his voice, the music that must be playing in his room, and even smell the cigarettes.
In this day and age when our eyes are turned to digital screens, it is hard not to envy Mostel's figure. The book in his hands is the only one in the world, opened just for Mostel, and it absorbs Mostel's world, capturing his heat and humidity. Books are alive; they get life from their readers and never stop breathing.
This book was created in 1963 by The New York Times as a souvenir for the American Booksellers Association and was not released on the general market. It is now known as a collector's item. In 2008, it was republished by Steidl, which has published many of Robert's works.
The subject is Zero Mostel, a comedian active in the United States from the 1940s to the 1970s. He is photographed reading a book with great enthusiasm. The photographer is Robert Frank, who exposed the dark side of the American dream in "THE AMERICANS. While capturing Mostel's humorous facial expressions, the film creates a cinematic-like picture.