Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books
by Ted Bishop
On This Page
Description
English professor and motorcycle enthusiast Ted Bishop is taking one last ride before fall term when his bike vibrates out of control and he is flung into a ditch, breaking his back and collapsing his lungs. With limited mobility, Ted finally has time to savour the reading experience. He begins writing about his crash, realizing that two worlds had come together when his head hit the pavement. The more he thinks about it, the more it seems that archival work is the inverse, not the opposite, show more of motorcycling. Ultimately, what surrounds both reader and rider is silence. In Riding with Rilke, Ted Bishop takes us on the road through some of the richest landscapes in North America and Europe, with numerous stops along the way. Whether describing the archival jolt of holding Virginia Woolf's suicide note in the British Library or the outlaw thrill of cruising Main Street in small-town America on a bike nicknamed "Il Mostro," Bishop tells a story filled with insight and humour. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I really enjoyed this one. The author is a college professor of English, specializing in modern literature. He's also a motorcycle enthusiast. The story is the memoir of his ride from Calgary to Austin for a sabbatical research project, and takes on library archives, James Joyce, TS Lawrence, Virginia Wolfe, motorcycle touring, the Ducati brand, and other topics.
It's far deeper on the literature side than the motorcycle side, but it did a good job of describing the love many of us have for motorcycle travel. It introduced me to modernism, and even his descriptions of typefaces and bookbinding - which sounds totally boring - was pretty interesting.
The book is fairly philosophical. Somewhere in the rough genre of Zen and the Art of show more Motorcycle Maintenance, though I enjoyed this one more (although I last read ZAMM when I was a 20-year-old, so perhaps I should revisit it).
Oh, and the Rilke part of the title was a bit misleading. Rilke's work only shows up late, and in a small snippet. I was disappointed in that, but it didn't ruin the book by any means. show less
It's far deeper on the literature side than the motorcycle side, but it did a good job of describing the love many of us have for motorcycle travel. It introduced me to modernism, and even his descriptions of typefaces and bookbinding - which sounds totally boring - was pretty interesting.
The book is fairly philosophical. Somewhere in the rough genre of Zen and the Art of show more Motorcycle Maintenance, though I enjoyed this one more (although I last read ZAMM when I was a 20-year-old, so perhaps I should revisit it).
Oh, and the Rilke part of the title was a bit misleading. Rilke's work only shows up late, and in a small snippet. I was disappointed in that, but it didn't ruin the book by any means. show less
I read this book to find a point of connection with my husband: he loves motorcycles and I love books. Bishop's journey does connect those two fascinations--in both cases he appreciates an object's material presence, as much, if not more than its function. He is a good writer and it is an enjoyable read but I still don't get the pleasure of riding motorcycles. I'd rather be reading!
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
5+ Works 228 Members
Ted Bishop teaches at the University of Alberta.
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Rainer Maria Rilke
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 142
- Popularity
- 228,089
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 4
