Customer Reviews

The Death of Ivan Ilych And Other Stories

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I am so sorry only 9 other people have reviewed this book for Amazon. If it were up to me, I'd place a copy in every hotel and motel room in America, right next to Gideon. I realize that some books just hit us the right way at certain times in our lives, and I once had a hard time trying to persuade 18- and 19-year-olds to appreciate this one. But when I was around 30, I read the title novella, and it changed my life by changing my outlook on life and enabling me to make some decisions I'd never have taken seriously if I hadn't read it.

But I don't want to scare you off. Tolstoy is perfectly accessible, the title character's dilemma is heartrending (the title gives you a clue), the characters universal, and the effect upon closing the cover after the last page indelible. If one person reads it after reading these 10 reviews, I'll be happy.

Death of Ivan Ilich is one of the greatest things ever written! It follows the life story of Ivan Ilich but specificly his dying.This story is a lesson for life, for everybody that reads it,because it demonstrates how a person can make all the sociably acceptable choices yet all the wrong ones ,personaly.Ivan Ilich did everyting that was expected of him,and what he expected of himself, yet,he never knew that he never really lived,that he was never happy.That is to say he never knew it, until it was too late,until he was about to die.This story,for me at least, is not about death as it is about life.It's about doing all the right things yet finding out you are all alone in the world.Nobody really loves you and you don't love anyone.You("IVAN")never liked your job and never had any real friends and the last time you were really happy was when you were four years old.The worse thing is that you can't do anything about it,now!Tolstoy manages to take the reader and lead him through Ivan's life until his last breath,until you feel, you almost die with him.It is an incredible experience that will make you stop and think about life and what you want to make of it before it's too late.

This story begins with the death of Ivan Ilych, a well-respected member of the Court of Justice in the late 1800s. The story follows this event by going into flashback, and exposing the significant events that lead up to his death. Ivan Ilych's unsatisfying life primarily consisted of drowning himself into his work, putting up with married life, hosting social dinners, and playing bridge with his friends and colleagues. One of the most crucial events pertains to Ivan Ilych being diagnosed with an illness. This forces him to analyze his way lof living. I really appreciated this specific short story, because it expressed how much a society's views and beliefs can effect an individual's way of life. I highly reccommend this book to everyone.

I bought this book to test the waters before I tackled something big like his War and Peace, and to gain appreciation for such a well respected author before a teacher or professor had the opportunity to shove it down my throat. I am very glad I did!

Tolstoy has a gift for words that draws the readers in and allows him to project his character's emotions onto them. He has the capacity to be romantic without being mushy or dark without being overbearing. At the end, he left me with a sincere impression, profound respect and still-lingering admiration.

This book belongs on everyone's bookshelves.

There's not much for me to add to what's already been stated about this classic. I can't think of any other story that still affects me so much after more than 5 years. I just read it again a few weeks back and I've come to the conclusion that this is one that I should read at least once every 5 to 10 years to keep me honest in life.

P.S. My fiance found it "slow" and "painful" ...but that's just the point imo. A brilliant total downer...that painful splash of ice water that stings like a bitch but wakes you up, nonetheless. Enjoy!

This is the best, smartest story ever written, in my opinion. Nothing else even comes close, by any author, including Tolstoy himself. If I weren't agnostic I would say that this story is divinely inspired. There are several translations, but this one is the best, by people who were personal friends of Tolstoy.

Navigating through all the cultural debris coming at us in the year 2007 is no easy task. New hot novelists, must-see flicks, terrific new musical groups, new new new. Yet, here is a story that's over 120 years old, but it speaks right now to the core of our humanity. What does it mean to be alive? What is death? What is pain? What does it mean to be good? What is love? And what is God? This short novel asks these questions again and again, but not as a didactic, philosophical exercise. Instead, Tolstoy weaves these eternal questions into the fabric of a human life, a life that is so plausible and simple that it could easily be yours or mine.

Ivan Ilych is a seemingly good man who makes reasonable choices. He follows the rules. He has faults. He has responsibilities. His marriage begins with promise and slowly slips into unromantic routine. He has a childhood which he remembers well. He is a father. He has friends. He finds meaning in his work. Then he gets sick, not all at once, but slowly. We watch him slowly dissolve as the pain bears down on him relentlessly. The doctors are useless. His wife is a nuisance. His children are irrelevant. No one understands. He becomes isolated and lonely except for one simple servant who selflessly cares for him. What is this death, Ivan asks again and again. Why me, he asks. Has my life been a lie? Have I led a bad life? How can I be free of all this misery? Perhaps none of this is really happening to me.

So Tolstoy, the great, mighty Tolstoy, examines every angle of the dying man's psyche, until finally Tolstoy reaches into the spiritual depths of the man. Is there redemption? Is there release?

One must read this masterpiece from this great artistic genius to fully appreciate Tolstoy's mortal and spiritual depths, and in doing so, perhaps we will better appreciate our own.

Leo Tolstoy is acknowledged as one of the greatest novelist in history, but his major works--Anna Karenina and War and Peace are very long and filled with Russian names and references that people not familiar with the country might find difficult to understand. Accordingly, it might be a good idea to get a taste of Tolstoy by reading some of his shorter works. The Death of Ivan Ilich and Other Stories affords just such an opportunity. These four short (40 to 70 pages) novellas feature some of the themes of Tolstoy's larger works, especially families and their disfunctionalities.

A young woman, Masha, who at the age of 18 and recently orphaned marries a family friend, 34-year-old Sergey Mihalovich, narrates the first story, entitled "Family Happiness". The couple lives in Sergey's country home for a while but young Masha yearns for the bright lights of the big city and Sergey, reluctantly brings her to Petersburg. There Masha takes up with high society and the relationship deteriorates, but in the end the couple return to the country and Masha learns the true meaning of family.

The second story is the best known of the group, "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." In this story Tolstoy tells of the life of a successful man who has a good career as a judge but whose family life suffers for it. Ilyich suffers an injury which turns into a debilitating disease and finally death. We see his declining health and, more to the point, witness his questioning of the meaning of his life.

The third story, "The Kreutzer Sonata," is told by a man who killed his wife in a jealous rage over her supposed infidelity (shades of Othello with the husband being his own Iago) and who relates the story to another man while traveling on a train. He was freed by the despite being clearly guilty (maybe he had the OJ jury!).

The final story deals with a young estate owner who, in his bachelor days, has sexual relations with a married peasant woman on his estate. He then gets married to a wonderful young woman but is still haunted by the other woman who appears periodically at his home. This story ends in tragedy, but with a twist, as Tolstoy provides two alternative endings.

Reading these stories will provide you with insights into Tolstoy's ideas and prepare you for reading his more substantial works.

This is the first of any literature by Leo Tolstoy that I have read. After finishing it, I now feel that not only do I still need to read 'War and Peace' but that I MUST. Whereas in the past I have heard that reading referred to as 'the climbing of Everest in literature' I can no longer see it as such- in the hands of such an extraordinary man as Leo Tolstoy, I am sure that it is going to be nothing but the highest of experiences.

The reason is very, very simple: Leo Tolstoy is a literary genius. This fact lies in his grasp of the condition of being human and his knowledge in how to put that intuition out on a page for others to read. The big emotions are there- jealousy, anger, love, lust, greed, fear- but his palette contains the subtler shades too- the frailty of being a mortal, the longing for one word to break open a case of emotions laying just below the surface...they are timeless experiences that any person, any nationality, any era has for itself and Leo Tolstoy captures that, presenting it in a dignified way to the reader.

His ideas are big too, which only augments the emotional presentation that he is making. He does not simply paint out the thoughts and consequences, he instead puts out the whole situation, minus a few significant details, leaving the reader to guess the true intentions of those involved and giving them something to walk away and think about. For instance, in the Kreutzer Sonata a man is seized by jealousy for his wife and another man- but Tolstoy never gives either the reader nor the man a concrete example of her infidelity, only suppositions and second-guesses. Did she? There is a strong case for 'yes'. Didn't she...there is a strong case for this, as well. Where does the truth lie? The emotions, the thoughts, the consequences...all are beautifully rendered on the page, presented to the reader but, most importantly, not EVER spoon-fed.

Bottom line: Buy this small volume and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. It's that good. It's that powerful.

-LP

This is my first Tolstoy book. Excellent, breathtaking, and strinkingly similiar to some people. I read this book as a final assignment in my Medical Ethics class-the reading is short but full of mind tickling content. If you brain is hungry, read this. I now look forward to other Tolstoy greats.