The Death of Ivan Ilych
Combining detailed physical description with perceptive psychological insight, Leo Tolstoy realistically sweeps aside the sham of surface appearances to lay bare man's intimate gestures, acts, and thoughts. Murder and sacrifice...greed and devotion...lust and affection...vanity and love - one by one, in this volume of great stories, Tolstoy dissects the basic drives, emotions and motives of average people searching for self-knowledge and spiritual perfection. Chekhov said, "Of coauthors my favorite is Tolstoy." And Turgenev "marveled the strength of his huge talent...It sends a cold shudder even down my back, though you know my back has become thick and course. He is a master, a master."
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Community Reviews
the introduction in my copy was really good. if i remember i’ll come back and add who wrote it.
the story itself was concise and well written. surprisingly easy to read for an old russian guy. made me think about death so title is accurate!
i was going to give it 4 stars but for a “long short story” it really does well! super quick read, gives a good character sketch, and delivers some big questions and ideas
rating: a tentative 5 stars? subject to change
the story itself was concise and well written. surprisingly easy to read for an old russian guy. made me think about death so title is accurate!
i was going to give it 4 stars but for a “long short story” it really does well! super quick read, gives a good character sketch, and delivers some big questions and ideas
rating: a tentative 5 stars? subject to change
The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a rare case of complete, raw uniqueness in the literary world. We follow Ivan Ilyich, a man who cares about nothing more than his career and his likeliness in the eyes of others. He eventually faces something which he'd never given much thought: his own death. This is an absolutely gripping story of a person experiencing the drawn out, excruciatingly slow death that some unfortunately experience. This account is raw, completely believable, and sometimes utterly spine-shivering. This is a novella worth reading.
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