The Death of Ivan Ilych

By Leo Tolstoi

The Death of Ivan Ilyich, first published in 1886, is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, considered one of the masterpieces of his late fiction, written shortly after his religious conversion of the late 1870s. "Usually classed among the best examples of the novella", The Death of Ivan Ilyich tells the story of a high-court judge, and his sufferings and death from a terminal illness in 19th-century Russia. Ivan Ilyich lives a carefree life that is "most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible". Like everyone he knows, he spends his life climbing the social ladder. Enduring marriage to a woman whom he often finds too demanding, he works his way up to be a magistrate, thanks to the influence he has over a friend who has just been promoted, focusing more on his work as his family life becomes less tolerable. While hanging curtains for his new home one day, he falls awkwardly and hurts his side. Though he does not think much of it at first, he begins to suffer from a pain in his side. As his discomfort grows, his behavior towards his family becomes more irritable. His wife finally insists that he visit a physician. The physician cannot pinpoint the source of his malady, but soon it becomes clear that his condition is terminal. Confronted with his diagnosis, Ivan attempts every remedy he can to obtain a cure for his worsening situation until the pain grows so intense he is forced to cease working and spend the remainder of his days in bed. Here, he is brought face to face with his mortality, and realizes that although he knows of it, he does not truly grasp it. During the long and painful process of death, Ivan dwells on the idea that he does not deserve his suffering because he has lived rightly. If he had not lived a good life, there could be a reason for his pain; but he has, so pain and death must be arbitrary and senseless.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sheba Blake Publishing
• Release date: May 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9783961897124

Leo Tolstoi

Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828 in Tula, near Moscow. His parents, who both died when he was young, belonged to the Russian nobility, and to the end of his life Tolstoy remained conscious of his aristocratic status. His novels, ‘War and Peace’ and ‘Anna Karenina’ are literary classics and he is revered as one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century. He died in 1910 at the age of 82.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYCH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

I

During an interval in the Melvinski trial in the large building of the Law Courts the members and public prosecutor met in Ivan Egorovich Shebek's private room, where the conversation turned on the celebrated Krasovski case. Fedor Vasilievich warmly maintained that it was not subject to their jurisdiction, Ivan Egorovich maintained the contrary, while Peter Ivanovich, not having entered into the discussion at the start, took no part in it but looked through the Gazette which had just been handed in.

Gentlemen, he said, Ivan Ilych has died!

You don't say so!

Here, read it yourself, replied Peter Ivanovich, handing Fedor Vasilievich the paper still damp from the press. Surrounded by a black border were the words: Praskovya Fedorovna Golovina, with profound sorrow, informs relatives and friends of the demise of her beloved husband Ivan Ilych Golovin, Member of the Court of Justice, which occurred on February the 4th of this year 1882. The funeral will take place on Friday at one o'clock in the afternoon.

Ivan Ilych had been a colleague of the gentlemen present and was liked by them all. He had been ill for some weeks with an illness said to be incurable. His post had been kept open for him, but there had been conjectures that in case of his death Alexeev might receive his appointment, and that either Vinnikov or Shtabel would succeed Alexeev. So on receiving the news of Ivan Ilych's death the first thought of each of the gentlemen in that private room was of the changes and promotions it might occasion among themselves or their acquaintances.

I shall be sure to get Shtabel's place or Vinnikov's, thought Fedor Vasilievich. I was promised that long ago, and the promotion means an extra eight hundred rubles a year for me besides the allowance.

Now I must apply for my brother-in-law's transfer from Kaluga, thought Peter Ivanovich. My wife will be very glad, and then she won't be able to say that I never do anything for her relations.

I thought he would never leave his bed again, said Peter Ivanovich aloud. It's very sad.

But what really was the matter with him?

The doctors couldn't say -- at least they could, but each of them said something different. When last I saw him I though he was getting better.

And I haven't been to see him since the holidays. I always meant to go.

Had he any property?

I think his wife had a little -- but something quiet trifling.

We shall have to go to see her, but they live so terribly far away.

Far away from you, you mean. Everything's far away from your place.

You see, he never can forgive my living on the other side of the river, said Peter Ivanovich, smiling at Shebek. Then, still talking of the distances between different parts of the city, they returned to the Court.

Besides considerations as to the possible transfers and promotions likely to result from Ivan Ilych's death, the mere fact of the death of a near acquaintance aroused, as usual, in all who heard of it the complacent feeling that, it is he who is dead and not I.

Each one thought or felt, Well, he's dead but I'm alive! But the more intimate of Ivan Ilych's acquaintances, his so-called friends, could not help thinking also that they would now have to fulfill the very tiresome demands of propriety by attending the funeral service and paying a visit of condolence to the widow.

Fedor Vasilievich and Peter Ivanovich had been his nearest acquaintances. Peter Ivanovich had studied law with Ivan Ilych and had considered himself to be under obligations to him.

Having told his wife at dinner-time of Ivan Ilych's death, and of his conjecture that it might be possible to get her brother transferred to their circuit, Peter Ivanovich sacrificed his usual nap, put on his evening clothes and drove to Ivan Ilych's house.

At the entrance stood a carriage and two cabs. Leaning against the wall in the hall downstairs near the cloak-stand was a coffin-lid covered with cloth of gold, ornamented with gold cord and tassels, that had been polished up with metal powder. Two ladies in black were taking off their fur cloaks. Peter Ivanovich recognized one of them as Ivan Ilych's sister, but the other was a stranger to him. His colleague Schwartz was just coming downstairs, but on seeing Peter Ivanovich enter he stopped and winked at him, as if to say: Ivan Ilych has made a mess of things -- not like you and me.

Schwartz's face with his Piccadilly whiskers, and his slim figure in evening dress, had as usual an air of elegant solemnity which contrasted with the playfulness of his character and had a special piquancy here, or so it seemed to Peter Ivanovich.

Peter Ivanovich allowed the ladies to precede him and slowly followed them upstairs. Schwartz did not come down but remained where he was, and Peter Ivanovich understood that he wanted to arrange where they should play bridge that evening. The ladies went upstairs to the widow's room, and Schwartz with seriously compressed lips but a playful looking his eyes, indicated by a twist of his eyebrows the room to the right where the body lay.

Peter Ivanovich, like everyone else on such occasions, entered feeling uncertain what he would have to do. All he knew was that at such times it is always safe to cross oneself. But he was not quite sure whether one should make obeisances while doing so. He therefore adopted a middle course. On entering the room he began crossing himself and made a slight movement resembling a bow. At the same time, as far as the motion of his head and arm allowed, he surveyed the room. Two young men -- apparently nephews, one of whom was a high-school pupil -- were leaving the room, crossing themselves as they did so. An old woman was standing motionless, and a lady with strangely arched eyebrows was saying something to her in a whisper. A vigorous, resolute Church Reader, in a frock-coat, was reading something in a loud voice with an expression that precluded any contradiction. The butler's assistant, Gerasim, stepping lightly in front of Peter Ivanovich, was strewing something on the floor. Noticing this, Peter Ivanovich was immediately aware of a faint odour of a decomposing body.

The last time he had called on Ivan Ilych, Peter Ivanovich had seen Gerasim in the study. Ivan Ilych had been particularly fond of him and he was performing the duty of a sick nurse.

Peter Ivanovich continued to make the sign of the

Reviews for The Death of Ivan Ilych

[Eneida Paulo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The existential musings of a dying man. It is a masterpiece, if an extremely depressing read. It’s almost like a car crash. You don’t want to look, but can’t help yourself. This short novella is a good introduction to Tolstoy’s amazing way with words.

[Boluwatife Akinola · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It wasn’t until after reading this book that I had to research Tolstoy to understand, what, if anything in his life, made him feel compelled to center this story primarily on the dying process of a man confined to one room, his thoughts, philosophies, hatred, pain and eventual peace (with himself and with death). The gradual replacement of more secular language with strong popular religious phrases “there is not fear because there is no death”, “it is finished”.

I read this story almost like the parable of the rich fool in the Christian Gospels. Ivan Illych is the master that has paid his dues, lived his life by all contemporary measures of success and accomplished. Yet, and even before he becomes aware of his own immortality, all the little things he has worked for start to loose their taste. His wife begins to annoy him. His curtains don’t hang as nicely as they used to. His work is still the only thing he’s clinging on to before he starts to actively die and then realises the vanity of it all. It is like, to someone who lives his life for others, without deep meaning and conviction, death is a joy. For Ivan Illych and all like him, perhaps this is true.

[Andrew Warwick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book, loved it, would recommend it to anyone. I wish it had been part of my schools curriculum.

[siok-76276 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought initially that Ivan Ilyich was a hypochondriac. It turns out that he was indeed sick and dying. This is a story of coming to terms with death and finding peace. A classic.

[spoko_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have to say, I hadn’t expected the cynicism & misanthropy that permeates this book.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ivan Ilyich Golovin lives an unexamined life. He works as a judge, he gets married, he has children. He is always a little unsatisfied with his life, wanting a little more money or a little bigger apartment. He moves up in the world. One day, as he is decorating his new apartment (the decorators were trying to hang a curtain but Ivan knew he could do it a bit better) he hits his side on a piece of furniture. At first he thinks nothing of it, it’s just a bruise. But over the next several weeks the pain gets worse and he sees doctor after doctor to no avail.

I’m not sure I really get this story, but I appreciate it and I always enjoy reading Tolstoy. I believe Tolstoy himself thought about his own death all the time, so I think he wanted to examine what death would be like for someone who never thought about death at all? Ivan Ilyich acts in what I think of as the stereotypical way people now would view people of that time - he gets married because that’s what’s expected of him, is too reserved to have any close friends, and hardly mourns the death of two of his children because has four more. But of course Tolstoy’s other characters love and live and mourn fiercely, so maybe Ivan Ilyich is an outlier among them.
The translation by Lynn Solotaroff is very good, it had the wry humor and vivid language I expect from Tolstoy, despite this being, I think, her only translation of his work. My edition also had an introduction by Ronald Blythe, which was terrible. It bounced back and forth in time and did not do a good job of describing Tolstoy’s state of mind while writing this book, and did too much interpretation for an introduction. Save that for an afterward. It was also way too long. A 35 page introduction for a 100 page story?? No.

[Ailed Rguez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have struggled with this book for many reasons; we not only see what the days are like before Ivan Ilych dies, but we also learn a lot about his life and the pain and emptiness he felt. I believe that sometimes what we need most is not a life free of pain, but knowing that when we go through certain pain, there are people who care and are interested in not letting you feel alone, even if they can't do more for you. (Translated from Spanish)

[JorgeLopez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It touches on themes such as guilt, ambition, and the underlying reasons why life is finite. The protagonist seeks to find an explanation for this but ultimately surrenders to the inevitable. (Translated from Spanish)

[williamalvarado · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's sad but very thought-provoking. (Translated from Spanish)

[ionas_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There were many good points in Tolstoy's little story, such as the inadequacy of doctors, our focus on becoming persons of power and importance, and our marrying not for love but material reasons.
I
Ivan Ilyich suffered a lot of pain before he died; but the story was not entitled "the illness" or "the pain" of Ivan Ilyich, but "the death of Ivan Ilyich".

I found it significant that some time before his death Ivan gained the insight that he had not lived his life correctly; he had been focused on irrelevancies and not the real values of life. He had had promptings from his soul, or God, if you will, about things in his life he should have changed, but these he ignored.

He realized now that only his little son whom he had always pitied, loved him. And his servant Gerasim also had compassion for him, but not his wife or others in the family.

Ivan had a little medal on his watch chain inscribed "Respice finem" (look to the end). And it is the actual "death" that is significant.

Like most people, Ivan had been afraid of death, but as soon as he accepted the pain, he could not find the fear.

"There was no more fear because there was no more death.""

Instead of death there was light, "What joy!" says Ivan.

With this story Tolstoy is giving us a crucial message - there is no death, when our body dies, we go into the light.

[Gabriella Fitzgerald · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, the first book I read by this author and it exceeded my expectations. I expected a boring and lengthy narrative, but it was a complete surprise. The book is about the life and death of Ivan Ilyich, a somewhat influential man, who is attacked by a disease that they never clearly diagnose. What I liked most was the way the disease and Ivan's desperation were described and expressed. (Translated from Spanish)

[diegogt0 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What an empty life Ivan Ilyich had; at least Tolstoy manages a natural talent to make it feel that way, the life of a meaningless bureaucrat who only in his last days tries to appreciate it. (Translated from Spanish)

[literatojr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story that leaves you with some fragments of sublime humanism, a sign of how well the great Leo Tolstoy understands humanity and the suffering it sometimes endures. It is precisely his literature that transforms an ordinary story into something genuine and impactful. (Translated from Spanish)

[Paoemylia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting reading about the jurist Ivan Ilich, his memories and thoughts in his last days of life, as the awareness of the proximity of his death made him vulnerable and forced him to reflect on his decisions. (Translated from Spanish)

[MPilarch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Short existentialist novel in which the author depicts with profound realism the harshness of illness, agony, and loneliness (despite companionship) leading up to the protagonist's death, after a life full of conventions. (Translated from Spanish)

[Dleiguarda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very easy to read, and in the last chapter, it reveals one of the great secrets of the universe. (Translated from Spanish)

[fabiancho1985 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Death is a companion where the beginning of life occurs; the intolerable physical pain of the protagonist leads him to reflect on his life, surrounded by lies and deception.

Quote:
"They don't care, but they will die too. Idiots! Me first and then them, but they will face the same. They are so happy now... the fools! Rage suffocated him, and he felt tormented, intolerably sorrowful. It was impossible for every human being to be condemned to suffer that horrible horror." (Translated from Spanish)

[CinthyaR · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Only Lev Tolstoy can masterfully take us to the suffering and loneliness of agony. I suppose that in such moments anyone reevaluates their existence and the way of living it; I also suppose that when life is slipping away, no way of living it seems enough, which makes it even harder to let go, just as Tolstoy writes. (Translated from Spanish)

[Américo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Lion tells us the drama of a life (Ivan Ilich) that is extinguishing in the midst of his solitude, of the minimal sensitivity of society towards the coming of his death. Ivan Illich finds himself tormented by the irreversibility of time and questioning how his life should have been.
"It's over!" —someone beside him said. He heard those words and repeated them in his soul. "Death is over —he told himself—. It no longer exists."
Recommended reading. (Translated from Spanish)

[Laura50 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great to read a writer like Tolstoy again. His perception of reality impresses with its relevance; that's why he's a classic. (Translated from Spanish)

[luislude · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A masterpiece that I highly recommend. It is undoubtedly one of my favorite books. Life as the most valuable thing. (Translated from Spanish)

[Cristian2933 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Masterful. The entire literary architecture created to introduce us to death and its process is of a dark, complex, and difficult tone. There are no shades of gray; it's all or nothing with this tale by Tolstoy. (Translated from Spanish)

[Tortilla · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a novella by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. The novel is a journey in which you observe and experience the life, thoughts, and death of Ivan Ilyich; however, you always know his destiny in such a way that it resonates in your life, your past, your present, and makes you recognize what your future will be with a death from which no one can escape. The novel invites us through the narrative to ask ourselves, Are you really living your life? (Translated from Spanish)

[elfalacias · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The worst moment of life can be that of agony. (Translated from Spanish)

[andywarhol95 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gorky and Dostoevsky > Tolstoy (Translated from Spanish)

[Lumus EI · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A good novel to understand the tensions at the end of the monarchy in Russia. Good text. (Translated from Spanish)

[Basspa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After reading the excellent review by Rafa Pérez, I decided to read this novel. It is my first foray into Tolstoy, and I was convinced by the fact that it is a short novel. I truly found it wonderful, not only from a literary standpoint but, above all, from a human perspective. The judge who analyzes his life and judges himself in his final moments. I prefer not to add anything more and recommend that you read Rafa Pérez's review. (Translated from Spanish)

[IsraelSMaciel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very beautiful.
It made me rethink my life from an objective and contemporary point of view. (Translated from Spanish)

[roldanpattz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A picture that shows us how fragile we are in the face of life and how we begin to value it when it is already too late; a circumstance that within the novel is compounded by the unleashing of the protagonist's internal demons and moral suffering, which ultimately end up being more terrible than the physical sufferings themselves, and it is there that his main torture lies.

A work of high emotional voltage and great human content. (Translated from Spanish)

[556 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A clear example of a life wasted by trying to please society, never choose the path of your life to satisfy others. (Translated from Spanish)