I just finished reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. It was a philosophy book. Who knew?
I had minor knowledge of this book from cultural osmosis, and it had been on the to-read list for a long time. But still, I was surprised to find the real nature of the thing.
This book came out in 1974 and against all odds became a cultural sensation. My paperback copy runs 430 pages, including the afterword. It contains long sections of motorcycle jargon, deep examinations of ancient Greek rhetoric and dialectical discourse, travelogue, and a split-personality narrator. Not your average blockbuster.
But, what is it about? Well, that’s easy: the book is about motorcycle maintenance; the importance of understanding and appreciating the systems which convey us from point A to point Z. It’s about Zen; experiencing the moment and the future and the past all at once, whether they come from the front or the back. It’s about Phadreus and Chris; a trip across the USA mounted on a metal horse. That’s all true.
