Featuring long-awaited selections from Robert M. Pirsig's unpublished
writings, from before and after Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance, an original collection illuminating the central theme of
Pirsig's thought: "Quality"
"The ultimate goal in the pursuit of excellence is enlightenment.
--Robert M. Pirsig, 1962
More than a decade before the release of the book that would make him
famous, Robert M. Pirsig had already caught hold of the central theme
that would animate Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
"Quality," a concept loosely likened to "excellence," "rightness," or
"fitness" that Pirsig saw as kindred to the Buddhist ideas of "dharma"
or the "Tao." As he later wrote in Zen, "Quality is the Buddha."
Though he was revered by fans who considered him a guru, the famously
private Pirsig published only two books and consented to few interviews
and almost no public appearances in later decades. Yet he wrote and
thought almost continually, refining his "Metaphysics of Quality" until
his death in 2017.
Now, for the first time, readers will be granted access to five decades
of Pirsig's personal writings in this posthumous collection that
illuminates the evolution of his thinking to an unprecedented degree.
Skillfully edited and introduced by Wendy K. Pirsig, Robert's wife of
four decades, the collection includes previously unpublished texts,
speeches, letters, interviews, and private notes, as well as key
excerpts from Zen and the Art of the Motorcycle Maintenance and his
second book, Lila.
Since its publication in 1974, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance has established itself as a modern classic of popular
philosophy; selling millions of copies and inspiring a generation, while
serving as a perennial touchstone for the generations that follow. On
Quality is a remarkable contribution to our understanding of one of the
most influential thinkers and writers of our time.
