Zen & Art Motorcycle Maintenance

Front Cover
Vintage, 2005 - Family & Relationships - 432 pages
Acclaimed As One Of The Most Exciting Books In The History Of American Letters, This Modern Epic Became An Instant Bestseller Upon Publication In 1974, Transforming A Generation And Continuing To Inspire Millions. This 25Th Anniversary Edition Features A New Introduction By The Author; Important Typographical Changes; And A Reader'S Guide That Includes Discussion Topics, An Interview With The Author, Letters And Documents Detailing How This Extraordinary Book Came To Be. A Narration Of A Summer Motorcycle Trip Undertaken By A Father And His Son, The Book 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, Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance Is A Touching And Transcendent Book Of Life.

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About the author (2005)

Robert Maynard Pirsig was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 6, 1928. While serving in the Army, he visited Japan on a leave and became interested in Zen Buddhism. After his service, he received bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Minnesota. He later studied philosophy at the University of Chicago and at Banaras Hindu University in India. He taught writing at Montana State University in Bozeman and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was also a freelance writer and editor for corporate publications and technical magazines. His first novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, was published in 1974. His follow-up novel, Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals, was published in 1991. He died on April 24, 2017 at the age of 88.

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