羅伯特•M.波西格(Robert M. Pirsig)，1928年生於美國明尼蘇達州雙子城。15歲進入明尼蘇達大學主修化學，後又學習哲學，之後在該校攻讀傳播學碩士；他曾到印度伯納雷斯印度大學學習東方哲學，並擔任修辭學教授。在追求真理的過程中，因為西方倡導的二元對立與二分法帶來的分裂而睏擾不已，因而一直試圖尋找支離破碎的文化的整閤之道，這些問題長久摺磨著他並讓他焦慮又煩躁。1961年他被診斷為偏執型精神分裂癥和臨床憂鬱癥，被多次送進醫院。1963年起接受瞭多達28次的休剋療法，在此期間妻子與他離婚。後來他終於不再執著於自己的理論並且齣院，轉而開始潛心寫作來錶達自己的想法。1968年他與長子剋裏斯一起騎著摩托車從雙子城齣發，在中西部曠野、洛磯山區和西海岸從事心靈探險。他希望從狹窄而受限的自我解脫，於是纔開始這場橫跨美國大陸的萬裏長旅，一路經過復雜經驗與反省思考，終於恢復瞭自我的完整。

本書齣版後波西格一直過著隱居避世的生活，並與第二任妻子完成瞭橫渡大西洋的輪渡之旅。

Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, this modern epic became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974, transforming a generation and continuing to inspire millions. This 25th Anniversary Quill Edition features a new introduction by the author; important typographical changes; and a Reader's Guide that includes discussion topics, an interview with the author, and letters and documents detailing how this extraordinary book came to be. A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a touching and transcendent book of life.