On Quality. An Inquiry into Excellence: Unpublished and Selected Writing

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. (Apr.)