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|
 First edition | |
| Author | Robert M. Pirsig |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Philosophical fiction, Autobiographical novel[1] |
| Published | 1974 (William Morrow and Company) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 418 pp |
| ISBN | 0-688-00230-7 |
| OCLC | 673595 |
| 917.3/04/920924 B | |
| LC Class | CT275.P648 A3 1974 |
| Followed by | Lila: An Inquiry into Morals |
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values is a book by Robert M. Pirsig first published in 1974. It is a work of fictionalized autobiography and the first of Pirsig's texts in which he discusses his concept of Quality.[2]
The title is an apparent play on the title of the 1948 book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. In its introduction, Pirsig explains that, despite its title, "it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."
Pirsig received 121 rejections before an editor finally accepted the book for publication—and he did so thinking it would never generate a profit. 50,000 copies sold in the first three months, and more than 5 million in the decades since.[3]
- ^ Abbey, Edward (March 30, 1975). "Novelistic autobiography, autobiographical novel? No matter". The New York Times.
- ^ "A Successful Pirsig Rethinks Life of Zen and Science". The New York Times. 15 May 1974.
- ^ "Robert Pirsig dies at 88; wrote counterculture classic 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'". Los Angeles Times. 24 April 2017.