FRANK, Robert (Zurigo, 1924 - Inverness, 2019)Robert Frank: New York to Nova Scotia

Firma autografa dell'Autore al frontespizio (Signed by the Author to the title-page)

"This country is really a free country. A person can do what he wants. Nobody asks to see your identification or your papers. The people here have representatives from every race and every nation. Whether you have been here for eight days or eight years, you are always treated like an American! There is only one thing you should not do, criticize anything. The Americans are extremely proud of their country! The whole way of life here is based on saving time. Only fast and as simple as possible. Bus, streetcar, and subway all cost the same amount, and tickets are not necessary. Doors open by themselves, newspapers are read and thrown away and then are immediately burned by street cleaners, on the open street in giant wastebaskets. There are no garbage cans, everything goes down an individual chute and is burned directly. Mailboxes are too small, so you have to place packages by the side of the street and they are picked up every 10 minutes, etc., etc. Nothig is impossible. They have electric toothbrushes and nail clippers, etc. In 10 minutes you have eaten and there are three men standing behind you, waiting for you to leave (not in the expensive restaurants). I can only tell you this: you have to see for yourself. I would not want to live here forever. For older people who do not have much $, it is terrible here. Nobody has any consideration for anybody else. Old or young, man or woman, here it is everyone for himself"

(da una lettera, riprodotta nel volume e tradotta dal tedesco in inglese, che Robert Frank inviò ai genitori nel marzo 1947).