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Robert M. Pirsig, whose "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," a dense and discursive novel of ideas, became an unlikely publishing phenomenon in the mid-1970s and a touchstone in the waning days of the counterculture, died on Monday at his home in South Berwick, Me. He was 88.
According to the New York Times.
This was one of those books that more or less defined an era. I would recommend it, but I know from experience that it does not resonate the way it did in the '70's. A philosophy professor I knew said he used to use the novel to introduce philosophy, but one year, in the early '80's it just stopped working. Nonetheless, it is worth a read, even though,
In a foreword to the book, Mr. Pirsig told readers that despite its title, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" should "in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice."
He added, "It's not very factual on motorcycles either."
But it does have a rather long discussion of Plato's Phaedrus and quite a lot about a certain motorcycle shop in Miles City, Montana. And the novel is much better than the movie, which of course was never made. Open roads, and may your handlebars never come loose, Robert!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:08AM
You've got the shim story correct (according to my memory...where it also stuck). The friend/artist looked to BMW and their genuine parts as the source of perfection. Whereas the author was a perfectly good troubleshooter and mechanic, just not anointed by the almighty German firm. The other fix for this problem requires a file to take a little material off the mating face of the clamps, to reduce the bore of the clamp--but the artist probably wouldn't have allowed this either (although it's likely what the dealer would do, out of sight in the back shop).
I only read it twice and have to agree with others that the second time was not like the first. Maybe it's time to blow the dust off and try for a third. On the other hand, I've greatly enjoyed reading Nevil Shute, "Round the Bend" three times in the last 20 years, another novel with a large heaping of philosophy in it.