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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Dramatised)
- Narrated by: James Purefoy, full cast
- Length: 1 hr and 40 mins
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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Dramatised)
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Publisher's Summary
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.
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What listeners say about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Dramatised)
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-03-24
Great
I really enjoyed it. much more fun than actually reading the book. I recommend it.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- michael griffin
- 2024-09-04
voices are a bit hard to take at times
I think its probably a good introduction to what the book might be like, but I feel like a lot is also probably missing. Some of the voices are hard to take and made my skin crawl a few times... if I had to choose over again, I'd probably pick a different version.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- andrew batty
- 2020-07-18
Really good but to short
I really liked the acting but I feel like they skipped over way to much shortening the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AboRick
- 2019-03-02
A classic for all
Loved it. Read it many years ago and the audio version did the book justice.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Thomas
- 2023-10-13
Not what I expected.
My bad, it’s not the book. It’s a nice idea, it’s well done, and it is not my thing.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nick v5.1
- 2023-12-01
Buy the book, not the audiobook
This is fine, but it's like a heavily watered-down version of the book. It's dramatised, but what made the book such a fascinating essential read, was all the philosophy, and all Phaedrus' thoughts, the vast majority of which are missing. It's as if you're only getting the surface of things, rather than what lines beneath, missing what truly makes the actual book one of the greatest of the 20th century. It's long been said that it's an unfilmable book, and this audiobook only serves to reinforce that.
I don't like it when people say, "Don't buy this, buy the book instead" ... but really, all the things they took out, were all the things that blew my mind, and had a profound effect on the way I thought and viewed the world. Please, please, please, buy the book, and read it, more than once!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Ryan
- 2022-01-27
Didn’t translate to audiobook format well
Just my opinion. I primarily enjoy audiobooks while driving for work, treadmill, travelling.
One of the key elements for me that I look for in a decent audiobook is the voice quality and performance of the narrator(s). Recently I wrote a positive review about Rupert Farley (I believe that’s his last name) who narrated and performed A Prayer Before Dawn.
In the case of Zen & TAOMM, I found the performances to be too sharp for my ear. Chris’ voice (while I’m sure deliberate) was very annoying.
Also, I accept responsibility that I bought an audiobook to listen to, and try to digest this concept of philosophy brought forth by Pirsig. It’s probably something that would have made more sense to read, and takes notes.
I personally wouldn’t recommend this title to anyone that is looking to learn what Pirsig is saying. Also, this book is barely about the concept of Zen, and definitely doesn’t explicitly take about motorcycle maintenance, in case you didn’t know that already.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- sunshinefrost
- 2023-09-28
not for Zen students
Not sure why this book is recommended in the Zen community but nothing from Zen is discussed in this story. I waited for the knowledge nugget to drop but only philosophical hints were heard, nothing more. The story is kind of depressing too
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