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A review by horizon_brave
The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy
4.0
This book...wow..okay for a short novella..there is a lot to unpack here. First of all this was the first thing I’ve read by Leo Tolstoy and the first from there historical time period and origin. My 19th century Russian is a much unexplored area. So briefly before even touching on the book itself, I had to do some research on Leo Tolstoy....and yea... what I read about his early life..makes so much sense having finished The Death of Ivan Ilyich. So, Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, ****He was born into aristocracy in 1828. Obviously way more famous for War and Peace and Anna Karenina. His mother and father died very early in his life. The latter when he was nine...He eventually served in the military and was appalled by the number of mass deaths in the war. (the Crimean War)
The most telling fact about his upbringing is that he kept a diary...and in it he logged different things that he regretted...vowed not to do tomorrow...but ultimately failed and did them anyway. This comes into play in The Death of Ivan Ilyich, in that the main character later in the novella, questions his life and reflects heavily on what deeds he did.
His brother died, eventually too, and I think all of this really shaped the book. As short as the book is, it really feels like a lashing out and response to something. The story here is so striking, heart breaking and morose, it feels like he had a lot of pent up feelings about the subject of death and what one would go through watching themselves whither...it’s quite a harrowing read. I came into the book thinking that this was almost a dark comedy. From the first chapter is seems like something that would be written as a gothic, tongue in cheek satire. However this changes quite profoundly. The story this dives into the actual emotional psychosis of this poor suffering man. His family who played the parts of loving and supportive roles while he was well, just look the other way, and pay him less and less attention as he’s dying alone. What’s tragic about this is that the book starts with him dead and the news of his death rippling out to the others in his circle. So by the end of the book, as we got to know him, and seeing what he went through, it’s truly heart wrenching to know that he did end up dead. It starts off with us the reader not knowing or caring much about his death...to by the end of the book, I had this sinking feeling of loss, loneliness and almost despair for him.
The most telling fact about his upbringing is that he kept a diary...and in it he logged different things that he regretted...vowed not to do tomorrow...but ultimately failed and did them anyway. This comes into play in The Death of Ivan Ilyich, in that the main character later in the novella, questions his life and reflects heavily on what deeds he did.
His brother died, eventually too, and I think all of this really shaped the book. As short as the book is, it really feels like a lashing out and response to something. The story here is so striking, heart breaking and morose, it feels like he had a lot of pent up feelings about the subject of death and what one would go through watching themselves whither...it’s quite a harrowing read. I came into the book thinking that this was almost a dark comedy. From the first chapter is seems like something that would be written as a gothic, tongue in cheek satire. However this changes quite profoundly. The story this dives into the actual emotional psychosis of this poor suffering man. His family who played the parts of loving and supportive roles while he was well, just look the other way, and pay him less and less attention as he’s dying alone. What’s tragic about this is that the book starts with him dead and the news of his death rippling out to the others in his circle. So by the end of the book, as we got to know him, and seeing what he went through, it’s truly heart wrenching to know that he did end up dead. It starts off with us the reader not knowing or caring much about his death...to by the end of the book, I had this sinking feeling of loss, loneliness and almost despair for him.