The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Leo Tolstoy
Creators: Anthony Briggs, David Mcduff, Ronald Wilks
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $11.00
Buy New: $8.80
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Avg. Customer Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 30498
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0140449612
Dewey Decimal Number: 891.733
EAN: 9780140449617
ASIN: 0140449612
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
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Product Description
Here are some of Tolstoys extraordinary short stories, from The Death of Ivan Ilyichin a masterly new translationto The Raid, The Wood-felling, Three Deaths, Polikushka, After the Ball, and The Forged Coupon, all gripping and eloquent lessons on two of Tolstoys most persistent themes: life and death. More experimental than his novels, Tolstoys stories are essential reading for anyone interested in his development as one of the major writers and thinkers of his time.
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Hailed as one of the world's supreme masterpieces on the subject of death and dying, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the story of a worldly careerist, a high court judge who has never given the inevitability of his death so much as a passing thought. But one day death announces itself to him, and to his shocked surprise he is brought face to face with his own mortality. How, Tolstoy asks, does an unreflective man confront his one and only moment of truth? This short novel was the artistic culmination of a profound spiritual crisis in Tolstoy's life, a nine-year period following the publication of Anna Karenina during which he wrote not a word of fiction. A thoroughly absorbing and, at times, terrifying glimpse into the abyss of death, it is also a strong testament to the possibility of finding spiritual salvation.
Translated by Lynn Solotaroff
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| Customer Reviews: Read 68 more reviews...
 Tolstoy Wrote with the Mind of God June 24, 2008
My life would be a poor thing had I never read Tolstoy. Why does Russian translate so very very easily to English? This I found in Russian literature.
 Terrible translation June 13, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am currently reading "The Death of Ivan Ilych" by another translator and it is a remarkable and moving story. However,
the translation that is offered in this edition was so awkward that I found it unreadable. The purchase of this edition was a waste of money and it's now sitting on my bookshelf unread. I recommend the translation by Constance Garnett. I hope that Pevar and Volokhonsky (transaltors of War and Peace and Anna Karenina) will release translations of Tolstoy's shorter works. Their translations are my favorites.
 An Examination of a Soul. April 19, 2008
An excellent, soulful book in the vein of The Trial, and Crime and Punishment. Vladimir Nabokov sums my views of this Novella quite well.
In his lectures on Russian Literature Russian born Novelist and critic Vladimir Nabokov argues that, for Tolstoy, a sinful life is (such as Ivan's was), moral death. Therefore death, the return of the soul to God is, for Tolstoy, moral life . To quote Nabokov: "The Tolstoyan formula is: Ivan lived a bad life and since the bad life is nothing but the death of the soul, then Ivan lived a living death; and since beyond death is God's living light, then Ivan died into a new life- Life with a capital L."(Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich: Lectures On Russain Literature pg.237: Harcourt Edition)
Powerful and deep January 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tolstoy had a great understanding of the human condition, as it's shown in this complex and thought-provoking novella about the mortality of man. It's the kind of book that, thanks to it's many layers, has to be read over and over. It's amazing how Tolstoy was able to build such an powerful story in only 100 pages, I've seen books with more than 400 pages that didn't have half of the depth he managed to put into this one.
Uncomfortably Amazed. January 8, 2008
There is a point near the very end of this story that made me stop in my tracks. I almost couldn't continue, just from wanting to re-read it over and over. It was a sublime moment and I wanted to really savor it.
Prior to reading this very accessible short story by Tolstoy, my (mistaken) perception of Ivan Ilych was that he was somehow a "bad" character...I was prepared to NOT be sympathetic to him.
Turns out Ivan Ilych is, as someone else pointed out - your basic "everyman".
Moreover, every character appearing in this story has a "familiar" feeling to him/her, which transcends cultures and time periods. This is a testament to Tolstoy's amazing ability to turn humanity inside out - and we can't help but recognize aspects of ourselves which are disturbing, banal, inspirational, and sometimes absolutely incredible. Certainly one can't finish the story and sit in judgment of any of the characters.
There's a reason why people refer to Tolstoy as a Master Storyteller.
It's because he is.The Death of Ivan Ilych And Other Stories
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