The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories

A tad beyond me. Complicated, but alluring. I love.

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I actually bought this book almost exclusively for The Death of Ivan Ilyich, but it was my least favorite of all the stories. In fact, it was probably the only story I didn’t like.

The translators did a very nice job putting Tolstoy’s stories into context and I love the stories they chose to include. The first two stories are about men going through war and it provides a great, intimate perspective of the experience, which I thoroughly enjoyed and greatly fits the theme of “death” throughout the book without addressing it too heavily. I didn’t care much for Three Deaths after it, but it was alright.

Then, the namesake Death of Ivan Ilyich. Honestly, I’ve already said my piece. It’s pretty intense and you can see Tolstoy’s midlife crisis in the writing (it reminded me of Tony Soprano’s night terror episodes), but I didn’t really find it too interesting and felt like the main character was written to avoid garnering too much sympathy.

Finally, I LOVED the last two stories! Some of my all-time favorites. After the Ball was a great, simple story and captured an essence that I really enjoyed and related to. I also liked how the story was an older man telling it to his peers, looking back on his past experience with love. The Forged Coupon was one of my all-time favorites. So much happens, it’s so well connected from beginning to end and he writes through all levels of society with so many different domains and lifestyles. It really captures how interconnected life is with a remarkable journey of a butterfly effect. Even with its sprawling narrative and characters, it still manages to come to emotionally satisfying conclusion on the matter. Truly a remarkable story.

Amazing job by the individuals who put this together and it was a phenomenal introduction to Tolstoy for me. Not every story is a banger, but it all flows together very well and provides phenomenal perspective.

For "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" specifically: “The main thing was that Ivan Ilyich had his work. The whole interest of life was concentrated for him in the world of his work. And this interest absorbed him.” It can seem morose to read a famed story about death in the midst of a time of great death in our world. But when it’s done well, this type of tale actually serves to impart the greatest sort of lesson literature can offer: how to live well. And in Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” I encountered what’s often considered one of the greatest short stories of all time. My relationship with Tolstoy thus far in my reading life has been fruitful, if not a bit rocky. I tore through the first half of Anna Karenina a couple years back, only to be stalled when my baby daughter stopped sleeping for a bit. I never got back into it, and it’s been tormenting me from the bookshelf ever since. Since that great novel plays such a big role in A Gentleman in Moscow, I was inspired again to read Tolstoy, though diving into Anna again was a bit intimidating. So I turned to the short stories, starting with his most famous. There’s no real lead-in to Ivan’s death — we start right away with his former coworkers discussing the lawyer’s passing, including, most importantly, how it would impact their own standing in the business. Eventually, Tolstoy turns the clock back a bit to get us to Ivan’s early life and marriage, long illness, and excruciating death at age 45. Honestly, I couldn’t always figure out what Tolstoy was trying to say. But, as I’ve heard from other fans of the story, the bits that do come through clearly are incredibly memorable and powerful. Tolstoy presents a view of death that isn’t romantic in the least bit; it’s slow, painful, morally fraught. And yet, towards the end, as everyone seems to experience, Ivan at least begins to come to grips with the crummy life he led. With that, of course, is an acknowledgement about what makes life truly meaningful and fulfilling. Could anything be more appropriate right now? “In public opinion I was going uphill, and exactly to that extent life was slipping away from under me.” If the very idea of Tolstoy scares you a bit, take a look at his short stories. This one is pretty easy-reading and comes with valuable and timeless insight into the human condition.

Again with the dead Russians, Nathan. Tolstoy is just so good at characters and their relationships to others and the world that they inhabit. While Dostoevsky is a master at confronting the dark fringes of humanity lurking deep in the soul, Tolstoy prefers a more optimistic, life-affirming arena that never feels naive or artificial. These stories stories (though at least 2 of them could be considered novellas) are an awesome way of experiencing Tolstoy without having to commit to the marathon of Anna Karenina or War & Peace.

Family Happiness: 4.25/5 The Death of Ivan Ilyich: 4.5/5 The Kreutzer Sonata: 4/5 The Devil: 4.25/5