Robert Maynard Pirsig is the author of the cult classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. In the early Sixties, following a slow dance through hell with depression and mental illness that left him in and out of hospitals and treatment centers for more than two years, Pirsig sent an outline for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, along with some samples of his writing, to James Landis, an editor at William Morrow.  Landis responded positively, encouraging Pirsig to finish the book.  Finally, in 1973, after several false starts and numerous discarded drafts, he turned the manuscript over to Landis.  Pitching ZMM before Morrow's editorial board, Landis said,   "This book is brilliant beyond belief, it is probably a work of genius, and will, I'll wager, attain classic stature."  Morrow published it the same year to rave reviews.... More • http://amsaw.org/ams ... irsig.html View • Books • Images • Videos • Search Related • Literature • USA • Writers • People