Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Dramatised)

By: Robert M. Pirsig, Peter Flannery

Narrated by: James Purefoy, full cast

An odyssey into life’s challenging questions during an unforgettable summer motorcycle trip

Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance became an instant bestseller upon its publication in 1974. A powerful examination of how we live, as well as a breath-taking meditation on how to live better, it tells the epic story of a father and son’s motorcycle trip across America’s Northwest in the 1960s.

Pirsig’s modern classic transformed a generation and continues to inspire millions of readers today. Dramatised for radio for the first time by Peter Flannery (Our Friends in the North, George Gently, The Devil’s Whore), this fantastic full-cast production stars James Purefoy (Rome, Injustice, Ironclad) and adds a new and original dimension to an iconic work. Following a father and his young son on their cross-country summer adventure from Minnesota to California, it is a story of love, fear, growth, discovery and acceptance. Both personal and philosophical, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is also a compelling study of relationships, values, enlightenment and meaning.

The maintenance of the motorcycle throughout the journey illustrates how to unify the cold, rational realm of technology with the warm, imaginative realm of artistry. Resonating with the confusions and the wonders of existence, the narrator wrestles with some of the most important philosophical questions of the 20th century. His need to also reconcile his past and present selves drives him and his son forward, to a point where all is either lost or won on the Chautauqua spiritual journey.

This audio edition includes a bonus 10 minutes of material that was not broadcast on the radio.

NB: the recording contains strong language.

Production credits
Author: Robert M. Pirsig
Dramatist: Peter Flannery
Original music: Jon Nicholls
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore
Producer: Melanie Harris

A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.

©2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

I should have bought the book.

pro: I liked that it was dramatized
con: it was too abridged.
To sum it up: create a dramatized unabridged version because what I heard was good.

Not the original book

I thoroughly enjoyed the dramatization of the book but I was disappointed it was not the full book.

excellent

really enjoyed reading this book years ago. listening to this A performance brought back just how interesting this book is. highly recomended.

Interesting ?

I’m not sure about this.. too short to really connect with it but I get the meaning behind the conflicts of Chris dad or whatever the other personality he got on.. Chris story was vague and I wish we get to understand him better. We don’t see his growth and we just see them moving on and along as if nothing crazy was happening the whole trip.. I thought that was weird ..

It’s short and you can enjoy it during traffic jam .. I’m into yoga philosophy so I connected over some monologues happening inside the lead character head but I also got lost as who is who and what’s the point of all the struggle … one second he’s crazy and one second everything make sense

don't waste our time

it's not the book. it's just highlights of the story. I have read this book twice before and this is missing too much of the original story.

pretty good I thought.

do wish they had the full book though. this version is quite emotional. the book fleshed out the ideas more.

worth jt

loved it so much in listened to it two times, and in a row, great.

Deep

Kind of hard to stick with far from life-changing as some people describe it not even that adventurous of a motorcycle trip. But quite a trip for the motorcycle he was on.

This apparently shortened version of the book is moving.

Emotional journey that explores some basic philosophical concepts. A don’t know how much of the book was left out, as I discovered after I purchased it, it wasn’t the whole thing. But enjoyed what was here.

Abridged

Well performed, but did not contain any of the content that I expected to hear.