Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance author robert m. Pirsig, whose philosophical novel zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance became a millionselling classic and cultural touchstone after more than 100 publishers turned it down, died. Pirsig was a college writing instructor and freelance technical writer when the novel its full title was zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance wikipedia. Pirsig, whose philosophical novel zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance became a millionselling classic and cultural. Pirsigs zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance is a powerful. In his now classic zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, robert pirsig brings us a literary chautauqua, a novel that is meant to both. September 6, 1928 april 24, 2017 was an american writer and philosopher. There is the bestselling author of zen and the art of motorcycle. If i could make everyone in the world read a book it would be zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance by robert m. Pirsig, is a book that was first published in 1974. Pirsig, author of zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. One of the most important and influential books of the past halfcentury, robert m.
It is a work of fictionalized autobiography, and is the first of pirsigs texts in which he explores his metaphysics of quality. One of the most important and influential books written in the past halfcentury, robert m. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, robert pirsig. The 1966 honda super hawk ridden by writer robert pirsig when he took the trip that inspired the book of travel and philosophy, zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, was donated to the museum. He was the author of the philosophical novels zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Zen was published by william morrow in 1974, after being rejected by 121 publishing houses. Pirsigs zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live. It talks about growing up as an individual, growing up in society, societal trends, technology trends, and the arts and sciences. If the book is not approached as being literally about zen and motorcycle maintenance, but as using these as standins for concepts that can be much larger or even much smaller there is a lot to be gained here. The cycle from zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Pirsig, whose zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, a dense and discursive novel of ideas, became an unlikely publishing.