The modern epic that transformed a generation and continues to inspire millions -- a penetrating examination of how we live and how to live better.
A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning, the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, this classic is a touching and transcendent book of life.
This new edition is updated with important typographical changes, a penetrating new introduction, and a Reader's Guide that includes an interview with Pirsig and letters and documents detailing how this extraordinary book came to be.
Editorial Reviews
“An unforgettable trip.” --Time
“The book is inspired, original. . . . The analogies with Moby-Dick are patent.” --The New Yorker
“Strange and wonderful...It meditates on those grand philosophical problems that were first addressed in this country by the likes of Thoreau and Melville...It seems as fresh and compelling as it did [decades] age.” --New York Times
“It is filled with beauty. . .a finely made whole that seems to emanate from a very special grace.” --Baltimore Sun
“A miracle . . . sparkles like an electric dream.” --The Village Voice
About the Author
Robert M. Pirsig was born in 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He holds degrees in chemistry, philosophy, and journalism and also studied Oriental philosophy at Benares Hindu University in India. He is also the author of this book's sequel, entitled Lila.
