Robert M. Pirsig facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert M. Pirsig
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Pirsig in 2005
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| Born | Robert Maynard Pirsig September 6, 1928 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 24, 2017 (aged 88) South Berwick, Maine, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, philosopher |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota Banaras Hindu University University of Chicago |
| Genre | Philosophical fiction |
| Notable works | Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974), Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991), "On Quality: An Inquiry into Excellence" (2022) |
| Notable awards | Guggenheim Fellowship (1974) |
| Spouse |
Nancy Ann James
(m. 1954; div. 1978)Wendy Kimball
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Maynard Pirsig (father) |
Robert Maynard Pirsig (/ˈpɜːrsɪɡ/; September 6, 1928 – April 24, 2017) was an American writer and deep thinker. He wrote two famous books: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974) and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991). These books explore big ideas about life and how we understand the world. He also helped write On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence (2022) with his wife, Wendy Pirsig.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Robert Pirsig was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on September 6, 1928. His father, Maynard Pirsig, was a law professor and dean at the University of Minnesota. Robert was a very smart child. He reportedly had a high IQ of 170 when he was nine years old. He skipped several grades at school.
At 14, Pirsig finished high school. He then went to the University of Minnesota to study biochemistry. He was a unique student. He loved science for its own sake, not just for a career. He became very interested in how scientists come up with ideas. He wondered where new ideas or "hypotheses" really come from. This deep thinking sometimes made his grades drop. He was even asked to leave the university for a time.
In 1946, Pirsig joined the United States Army. He served in South Korea until 1948. After his time in the Army, he returned to the University of Minnesota. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1950. He then studied philosophy in India at Banaras Hindu University and at the University of Chicago. In 1958, he earned a master's degree in journalism.
Writing Career and Big Ideas
In 1958, Pirsig became a professor at Montana State University. He taught creative writing for two years. Later, he also taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Pirsig is best known for his two books. His first book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is about a motorcycle trip. He took this trip with his young son, Chris. But it's much more than a travel story. It's a journey into the idea of quality. Pirsig explores how we understand what is "good" or "excellent." He also shares a short history of philosophy. He talks about how people in Western culture think about truth and ideas. He believed that "Quality" could connect different ways of thinking, both Western and Eastern.
It was hard for Pirsig to find a publisher for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. He sent his book idea to 121 different publishers! Finally, William Morrow accepted it. An editor there called it "brilliant beyond belief" and a "work of genius." Some famous writers even compared Pirsig's writing to great authors like Dostoevsky.
Pirsig later received a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974. This helped him write his second book, Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991). In this book, he continued to explore his ideas about quality. He created a new way of looking at reality, which he called the "Metaphysics of Quality." This book follows a sailboat journey.
Family Life
Robert Pirsig married Nancy Ann James in 1954. They had two sons, Chris and Theodore (Ted).
Pirsig went through a difficult time with his health between 1961 and 1963. He later discussed some of these experiences in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Robert and Nancy separated in 1976 and divorced in 1978. On December 28, 1978, Pirsig married Wendy Kimball.
In 1979, his son Chris, who was a big part of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, sadly passed away at age 22. Pirsig wrote about this in later editions of his book. He and Wendy Kimball had a daughter, Nell, in 1980. Pirsig felt that Nell was a continuation of the life Chris had lived.
Robert Pirsig passed away at his home in South Berwick, Maine, on April 24, 2017. He was 88 years old.
Awards and Recognition
Pirsig received many honors for his work.
- In 1974, he won a Guggenheim Fellowship for his writing.
- The University of Minnesota gave him an Outstanding Achievement Award in 1975.
- He won a literature award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1979.
- In 2012, Montana State University gave him an honorary doctorate degree in philosophy. He had taught there many years before.
In 2019, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History received Pirsig's 1966 Honda CB77F Super Hawk motorcycle. This was the motorcycle he rode with his son Chris during the trip that inspired his famous book. The museum also received a copy of the book's manuscript and other items from the trip.
See also
- James Verne Dusenberry
