The literary genre known as philosophical fiction is also referred to as “novels of ideas.”  Typically, novels of this particular vein use conventions of literature (story, characters, narrative arc) to make broader philosophical arguments. Often times, these novels are used to illustrate the author’s particular views on the trajectory of society (such as Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace), to analyze a facet of human nature (like Voltaire’s Candide), or to create a discussion on ethics, morals, or values.  For that last example, an exceptionally interesting book is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (or ZAMM from here on; also known as ZMM) is a densely energetic story of a father and son’s motorcycle trip across America on the surface, but its philosophical underpinnings vary from deconstructing classical Greek meditations on the nature of quality, to the rise of the counter-culture in America, to a darkly analytic exorcism of personal madness.  In short, it’s a pretty damn good read.

Robert Pirsig was born in Minneapolis, MN on September 6, 1928 to Maynard and Harriet Sjobeck.  Robert’s father was a University of Minnesota Law School graduate, professor, and later dean, at the University of Minnesota Law School and William Mitchell College of Law.

At the age of 9, Robert Pirsig tested with an I.Q. of 170, and he was moved up several grades, later attending the prestigious Blake School in Minneapolis.  Accelerating through school, he was granted a high school diploma at the age of 15 and began attending the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis as a biochemistry student.

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