The Death of Ivan Ilych

I'd been wanting to dive into some Russian classics for a while, and Google told me this one was the most accessible so there it is.

Found a cheap used copy from a little independent store, result!

Unfortunately, and I wonder if it was maybe due to the translator, I found the prose a little flat, lacking much depth or character.

I did like the story, there's something quite fascinating about a tale of the fantastically mundane.

I did also like how it ended but of course I won't say any spoilers here.

But ultimately... I didn't love this book. I liked it but I didn't love it.

It is short and accessible so if you're like me and just wanting to experience some Tolstoy in a few hours, it's a good choice.

Interesting and captivating portrayal of a lonely death after a slowly deteriorating mental and physical state. Episodic and unnecessary paragraphs are common in this novella nonetheless, which made it difficult to enjoy for me.

Interesting read. The beginning felt a little underwhelming but it grew on to be better by the end. I particularly liked the way Ivan is written to have a yearning for pity and detest for reminders of life from those around him, a more unique take on a chronically ill character aware that death is approaching him.

4/5 that up until halfway through was going to be a solid 3. I still do not believe Tolstoy's characters are such intricately designed masterpieces for a man that criticised Dostoevsky for his archetypal doomed protagonist.

A must read for everyone

It's amazing how such a short book can be so profound and life-changing.

A short read on what Ivan experiences while dying. Provides interesting questions but gives no easy answers.

The short novel is about exactly what you'd expect from the title: the death of Ivan Ilych. All the stages he goes through to get there, and the reactions of those around him. Less a novel and more of a philosophical examination of death and mortality, really.

Tolstoy at his best. If anybody s unsure whether to try war and peace or Anna Karenina then try this first to see just what the man can do. This story is a brief intro into Ivan Ilych's life and then his illness and the thoughts going through his head as he is on his deathbed. Some shocking thoughts that you can't help but understand why he thinks them.

Fantastic stuff, I have another one of his to read next, I was gonna wait but gonna jump straight into it.

be ghole schopenhauer, ba honar ertebati nadasht; ba mafhoom cher!

www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/death-of-ivan-ilych/1/