On Quality
An Inquiry into Excellence: Unpublished and Selected Writings
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Featuring long-awaited selections from Robert M. Pirsig's unpublished writings, from before and after Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, an original collection illuminating the central theme of Pirsig's thought: “Quality”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Skillfully edited and introduced by Wendy K. Pirsig, Robert’s wife of four decades, the collection includes previously unpublished texts, speeches, letters, interviews, and private notes, as well as key excerpts from Zen and the Art of the Motorcycle Maintenance and his second book, Lila.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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The writings of Robert M. Pirsig, author of the cult classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, come together in this lighthearted collection. Pirsig's wife introduces the pieces, which include Pirsig's letters to his readers, interviews conducted during the 1990s, and his contributions to various anthologies. In "The Right Way," a speech given at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design just after Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was published, he encourages writers that the creative process "takes a long frustration." "Aphorisms" was written in 1962, when Pirsig was a psychiatric patient at Downey Veteran Administration Hospital, and includes quips and cultural musings. And in an excerpt from a 1974 interview with the Washington Post, he writes, "I'm trying to make the classic concepts more relevant today, helping people lead more imaginative, productive lives." Many of the entries focus on his metaphysical conception of "quality" (a value at the "center of existence") and can be hard to parse, and some selections are so short as to feel superficial. Still, his musings offer a pleasant detour into a curious mind at work. Pirsig's fans will find much to consider.
