Robert Pirsig

About the Author

Robert M. Pirsig was born in 1928. His factual biography adheres more or less to the life story of the narrator and his past self, Phaedrus, chronicled in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Pirsig was an academic prodigy: at age nine, with an I.Q. of 170. In 1943, at just 15, he was already enrolled at the University of Minnesota to study biochemistry. However, he was expelled in 1945 for poor academic performance.

LitCharts guides for works by Robert Pirsig

Explore LitCharts literature guides for works by Robert Pirsig. Each guide includes a full summary, detailed analysis, and helpful resources for studying Robert Pirsig's writing.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance interweaves two parallel plots: the first is the chronicling of a transcontinental motorcycle journey taken by the narrator and his eleven-year-old son, C... view guide