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Description
THE CLASSIC BOOK THAT HAS INSPIRED MILLIONS
A penetrating examination of how we live and how to live better
Few books transform a generation and then establish themselves as touchstones for the generations that follow. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one such book. This modern epic of a man’s search for meaning became an instant bestseller on publication in 1974, acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters. It continues to inspire millions.
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 on 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 contains an interview with Pirsig and letters and documents detailing how this extraordinary book came to be.
Product Details
Publisher | Mariner Books Classics |
Publish Date | August 02, 2005 |
Pages | 464 |
Language | English |
Type | |
EAN/UPC | 9780060839871 |
Dimensions | 8.0 X 5.3 X 1.1 inches | 13.0 pounds |
About the Author
Robert M. Pirsig (1928–2017) is the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which has sold more than five-million copies since its publication in 1974, and Lila, a finalist for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He graduated from the University of Minnesota (B.A., 1950; M.A., 1958) and attended Benares Hindu University in India, where he studied Eastern philosophy, and the University of Chicago, where he pursued a PhD in philosophy. Pirsig’s motorcycle resides in the Smithsonian Institution.
Reviews
“An unforgettable trip.” — Time
“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance sold millions of copies and made Pirsig a reluctant hero to generations of intellectual wanderers…Zen was an instant classic — a work of literature that captured the spirit of its time and retained its appeal long after the hippie movement had faded.” — Washington Post
“A touchstone. … Pirsig’s plunge into the grand philosophical questions of Western culture remained near the top of the bestseller lists for a decade and helped define the post-hippie 1970s landscape.” — New York Times
“The truly great road trip novel. … Many former angsty teens will surely fondly recall their own dog-eared, heavily underlined copies of Pirsig’s book, and the initial joy that accompanied reading something that felt so specifically personal and yet so urgently universal. … Zen’s ongoing reprints, its devoted fan base, and the countless road trips and pseudo-spiritual journeys it’s inspired are indicative of the book’s ongoing appeal.” — GQ
“Inspired college classes, academic conferences and a legion of 'Pirsig pilgrims' who retrace the anguished, cross-country motorcycle trip at the heart of his novel.” — Los Angeles Times
“Profoundly important...full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas.” — New York Times
“The book is inspired, original. . . . The analogies with Moby-Dick are patent.” — The New Yorker
“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
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