Phaedrus - a character familiar to readers of 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' - is sailing down the Hudson River when he meets Lila Blewitt, an unapologetically sexual, psychologically unstable woman whom a mutual friend warns him against. But Phaedrus is drawn to her physically, and interested in her intellectually, finding her a culture of one in whom he discerns an unexpected Quality. Sailing with him to Manhattan, where her mental state deteriorates further, Lila promps Phaedrus to explore conflicts of values, such as those between Native Americans and Europeans, or between the insane and the normal.

Author Biography

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Robert M. Pirsig has achieved world fame and classic status for his iconic book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. This was followed, seventeen years later, by Lila: An Inquiry into Morals, an updated version of which was published by Alma in 2006.