The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories (Vintage Classics)

This is a representative collection of Tolstoy’s short stories. One of my favorites, “How Much Land Does a Man Need?,” isn’t included, but the ones represented here are an excellent introduction to Tolstoy’s mastery of the short story form. The first, “The Prisoner of the Caucasus,” is an exciting tale of a Russian soldier named Zhilin, captured in the war in that area, and his attempts to escape. The reader cannot but admire Zhilin’s courage, ingenuity, perseverance, and overall competence in everything he does. Out of the entire collection, this is the one I’d make into a movie. Zhilin is a supremely likable protagonist; I can’t say the same for the protagonists in the following three stories, actually the narrator as the stories are told in the first person. “The Diary of a Madman” is a disturbingly accurate description of what a panic attack is like. “The Kreutzer Sonata” is framed in the third person as a conversation between two men in a railway car, but the main story is in the first person. This is one of Tolstoy’s most renowned short stories; I found it underwhelming, probably because the narrator was so repugnant. The theme is one of jealousy, which is a reaction to another person’s behavior, but the decision to feel jealousy is always a matter of choice. “The Devil” is even worse; an account of a man who has sex with a woman below his social class, and develops feelings for her. Again, all of this was avoidable. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” is the best treatment of individual death I’ve ever come across. It begins with the effect Ivan’s death has on his co-workers, who are mainly concerned with the vacancy thus created and how they might best take advantage of it. It then progresses inward to the effect Ivan’s death has on his family. The story then flashes back to Ivan’s childhood, education, career, and marriage, with his fatal illness arriving, as they so often do, as an almost trivial perception. As his illness progresses, he visits doctors, takes medication, and changes his diet in a futile attempt to ward off the inevitable. Continuing inward, as death approaches, Ivan wonders if he’s lived his life in the right way. He’s followed all the rules, he attained a prestigious position, he has a family and is a respected individual, so what did he do wrong? I’m reminded of Socrates’ observation that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” and Ivan has definitely lived an unexamined life. On the other hand, the young muzhik Gerasim, who has an uncanny ability to help Ivan feel better by holding his legs up, as far as we can tell is definitely living an unexamined life, but he’s also a very good and kind person, contrasting with Ivan who is petty, argumentative, and superficial. Tolstoy suggests conclusions but doesn’t clearly present any as Ivan gradually loses touch with the outside world and the progress of the story, from the external to the internal, is complete. “Master and Man” is a wonderful and very real description of what it’s like to get lost in a snowstorm, and the unexpected behavior this engenders. “Father Sergius” is another unexpected progression, of a young officer who, upon learning that his fiancée isn’t a virgin, embarks on an ascetic life as a monk. Tormented by feelings of inadequacy and inauthenticity, and disturbed by his growing reputation, after many years he finally understands what he must do to achieve fulfillment. Tolstoy’s description of this is short and concise, suggesting a sudden and unexpected revelation. “After the Ball” describes a young man’s disillusionment with a young woman caused by an unrelated act of violence. Unlike the other stories of lust and sex, the change in the narrator is caused by the actions of others. “The Forged Coupon” describes the effects of a petty crime as they ripple outward and entangle a growing number of unrelated individuals. It may be the first description of the Butterfly Effect. “Alyosha the Pot” is the shortest story in the collection, about a hapless young man who nevertheless accepts his fate cheerfully and without resentment. Is this Tolstoy’s answer to Ivan Ilyich and the question of what constitutes a good life and how a man should live? As usual, the answer is up to the reader. “Hadji Murat” is also a frame tale, sparked in the narrator’s mind by his observation of a thistle. As with “War and Peace,” Tolstoy interviewed several of the surviving participants and utilized original materials. On its face, the story is simple. A Chechnyan sub-commander hates the rebel leader, and wishes to come over to the Russian side in the war, but first has to negotiate the release of his family, which the leader is holding hostage. Within this basic framework, we learn the origins of the conflict and are introduced to a dizzying array of Russian and Chechnyan soldiers and commanders as Tolstoy illuminates an entire world for us. We’re only reminded at the end that this is a frame tale, and the narrator, who I assume is Tolstoy himself, remains mysterious. The Pevear-Volokhonsky translation is up to their usual high standards, and includes a glossary of Caucasian mountaineer terms, along with extensive footnotes to explain references that modern readers may not be aware of. French dialog present in the originals is preserved with footnoted translations.

Many people agree that The Beatles are the best band of all time (I'm actually not of this camp, but let's forget that for the sake of argument). However, imagine if The Beatles had a reputation as unlistenable, opaque, and virtually impenetrable. The first time you heard some actual songs by them, you'd be surprised at how easy it is to listen to them; the melodies are beautiful yet catchy, the instrumental parts well-structured and well-played. This is the big surprise for me with Tolstoy. I've never come across an author, band, artist, etc. whose reputation is so contrary to their actual nature. Starting in childhood, we're told that War and Peace is an inaccessible tome of a novel. Tolstoy's prose is famously thought to be cold, formal, and difficult to get through. This couldn't be further from the truth. Tolstoy's writing is beautifully flowing and sometimes even playful; his characters are well thought-out and sympathetic; the narrative motion of his stories is perfectly paced. This is not just true of this translation of some of his short stories, although Pevear and Volokhonsky seem particularly adept at honoring Tolstoy's gift with language. At the danger of sounding fanatical, these stories are perfect. Literally nothing about them could be changed for the better. The volume begins with a fragment, Diary of a Madman, which discusses a religious man's breakdown. Parts of the story are even reminiscent of Sartre's Nausea, a book that came several decades later. There are two stories in the book that involve a realistic depiction of war: A Prisoner of the Caucuses and the novella Hadji Murad. I don't usually enjoy war writing, but Tolstoy has such a love for his characters, such a brutally honest and yet somehow optimistic view of human conflict, that these stories seem less about the actual logistics of war and more about man's contradictory disposition to violence. The jewel of this book is the title story, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. I've recommended this story (among many others by Tolstoy) to several friends, and I've yet to find anyone who isn't in some way moved by it. The story involves a man who, at the end of his life, begins to question the choices he's made and how he's lived. Again, Tolstoy's compassion paints his characters as flawed but well-intentioned. If you have any doubts about this book, I'd recommend first reading The Death of Ivan Ilyich (even if it's an older translation -- some of these are even available online for free). The translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky is definitely superior, but the story is so strong that its genius is readily seen even in the older, stodgier translations. Another thing that surprised me was the modern feel of Tolstoy's stories. These stories would be right at home in the 20th century literary canon -- sometimes it's even a shock when a character pulls up in a troika. You find yourself saying, "Oh, right -- this takes place in the 1800s." Because Tolstoy deals in morals and characters' subtle motivations, the writing is truly timeless. Of course, once you read these stories, I'd recommend moving on to either Anna Karenina or War and Peace. Pevear and Volokhonsky have superb translations of both. And, when you come to the end of War and Peace, you'll have the same epiphany reached by most people who've read it: that this book, forever depicted as a cold, stern, tome, has some of the most beautifully depicted characters, the most involving and page-turning narratives, and the most memorable passages of any book you've ever read. ***One quick note: Many of the 1-star and 2-star reviews for this book claim it's full of errors and typos. However, if you look closely, you'll see that these reviews are actually for other Tolstoy compilations (which are also named for The Death of Ivan Ilyich), not for the P&V translation. For some reason Amazon lumps all these reviews together even though the books are vastly different. It's worth noting that, since Tolstoy's work is in the public domain, there are a lot of very shoddily put-together books of his stories.

I've previously posted on one long piece in this book - Hadji Murat - on my blog, Gridley Fires The remainder of this book is a collection of short stories selected by the book's translators, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, no doubt to show off the diversity in Tolstoy's story structure and subject matter. But in doing this, they've perhaps inadvertently selected stories that, except for a pair, depict Tolstoy's project of using story to demonstrate his views on morality and ethics. Some of his moral depictions here (and almost all literature trifles with ethical dilemmas of the author's times, to one degree or another) are as subtly put as those modern by a hundred years. On the other hand, others are actually quite ham-handed. But more on this subject below. The translators made these stories entertaining - not only by showing us the more timeless aspects of Tolstoy's literary thinking - but in herding them ever so gracefully into modern times via a more contemporary language that refuses to betray Tolstoy and the language of that time. As I've implied previously, these two translators are likely without peer in doing so. Possibly since I'm a blue collar dude by sensibility, my favorite story (besides Hadji Murat) is Master and Man, in which a man of means, Vassily Andreich and a servant, Nikita, an older muzhik, or peasant, take off on a winter trip to another town with a snowstorm looming. The story is a masterwork of the dynamics between the two men, how they both complement one another and manage inherent class conflicts. As well, it depicts as deftly as any modern work might the ways in which Nikita belongs to nature, in which he understands, despite his usual drunken state, how to navigate nature in such times and how to yield to it in order to survive. Vassily, on the other hand, is headstrong to a fault, which proves his undoing in this Jack London-style story of man versus the elements.

NOTE: This review is of the Richard Pevear/Larissa Volokhonsky translation. One thing that Leo Tolstoy could never be accused of was being a minimalist. He is best known for the massive novel 'Anna Karenina' and the even more massive 'War and Peace'. Almost all of his fiction seems to be an attempt to pack in as much panoramic life as possible. This characteristic applies to his shorter pieces as well as his novels. This new translation (2009) assembles his best known stories as well as some lesser known ones as well and is presented chronologically, from the earliest, "The Prisoner of the Caucassus", written between the composition of 'War and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina', to his final novella, "Hadji Murat," written over the last two decades of his life and published posthumously a few years after his death. All of the stories deal with the themes familiar in his other works—how can a man lead a moral life, what should his attitude be toward the pleasures of the flesh, honor in the midst of war and equality among the classes. "The Prisoner of the Caucassus" deals with a young soldier who has obtained leave from his regiment to visit his ailing mother and perhaps marry before she dies. On his way through the mountain passes he takes a wrong turn and is pursued by Tartars. His bafflement as to why these people would want to kill him is similar to young Nicolai Rostov in 'War and Peace', who had grown up in the bosom of family love and could not conceive that anyone would wish him harm. The naiveté quickly disappears as a steely resolve to survive takes its place. Tolstoy is a master at depicting wartime action and the campaigns of pursuit, capture or killing which are inherent in war. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", "The Kreutzer Sonata" and "The Devil" are largely concerned with the subjective evolutions of individual consciousness in relation to external perceived challenges. My early exposure to the psychologically penetrating tales of Henry James has made me predisposed to be more comfortable in these subjective realms where specific characters undergo psychological/spiritual journeys. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" depicts the life of an attorney/judge who has gone through all the right steps and played by the societal rules for reaching success and prosperity in life. He believes that his life has obtained a stability and order and that he has reached the pinnacle of success, until a random accident resulting in a bruise in his side, seemingly inconsequential but escalating to severe internal pain disrupts all of his sense of order. His selfish wife now seems self-absorbed and irritable with Ivan's health crisis as it presents an inconvenience in her life. His escalating illness, never named but presumably cancer, forces Ivan to reevaluate his life and question all his previous judgments. He goes through all the stages of dying to the point of ultimate acceptance. He reaches that point which always fascinated Tolstoy and compelled him to contemplate the process to the ultimate last step of consciousness that he also depicted in 'War and Peace', as if he wanted to venture as close as possible to the 'final frontier' and still be able to return to tell the tale. Ivan's serenity precedes his physical death and achieves the ultimate transformation. The character in 'The Kreutzer Sonata" seems like he just stepped out of the pages of one of Dostoevsky's intense novels and wandered into Tolstoy's universe. Like Raskolnikov, he is a killer and, also like Raskolnikov, he needs to make a complete, thorough confession to another human. His jealousy and ambivalence to his wife's beauty and seductiveness has culminated in murder. The character repents of the murder, but not, as Tolstoy later made clear, of his aversion to sexual pleasure. Tolstoy's own revulsion toward sexual pleasure in his later life made explicit his own attitude. Despite this obvious bias, the story can be read as a compelling psychological fable without knowing the feelings of the author. "Master and Man" is one of Tolstoy's most evocative tales. A greedy landowner, Brekhunov, takes his servant, Nikita, with him to a neighboring landowner in order to purchase a valuable piece of land. In his haste to reach his destination before other prospective buyers, he speeds his horse and servant on through a snowstorm, gets lost and, as night approaches, appears to be stranded through the frigid night. The horse is pushed beyond endurance and dies and he abandons his servant, who is succumbing to hypothermia, to find his way, gets lost and ends up back at his sleigh. He undergoes a radical spiritual transformation from self-obsessed aristocrat, willing to sacrifice anyone in behalf of reaching his goal to resignation. This predicament is no one else's doing but his own. He has refused a previous offer to stay with a family overnight and resume his journey in the morning. He realizes too late that he should have accepted that offer. Left with no one else to hold responsible but himself, he decides to cover his dying servant with his own body in the back of the carriage, dying in the process but enabling his servant to survive. Like Ivan Ilyich, he travels through different stages before reaching a spiritual epiphany and considering the worth of someone other than himself. The nocturnal cold and the slow, inevitable acquiescence to the harshness of the environment is reminiscent of the equally chilling Jack London tale, "To Build a Fire". The final story in the collection, the novella "Hadji Murat," take us full circle back to the Caucassus and tells the story of real life Chechen rebel Hadji Murat who, through a chain of circumstances, felt forced to retain his honor by defying the more militant rebel Shamil, who has held Murat's mother, wife and son captive, and defecting to the Russian forces. Murat is constantly aware that he may be placing himself in an untenable situation in which he is not fully trusted by either the Russians or the Chechens. Against this foundation, Tolstoy wanders into the minds of various rebels and Russians, even launching into a tirade against the lecherous and cruel Tsar Nicholas I who prided himself on being against the death penalty while also condemning prisoners to run gauntlets of thousands of blows resulting in certain fatality. Tolstoy lost none of his descriptive powers in the final years of his life. 'Hadji Murat" is as compellingly cinematic as anything he had written previously. My only reservation with the story, as for most of the others in this collection, is that they could all benefit from being fleshed out in greater length. He has the material for several novels here and, while I'm not advocating expanding them to the sizes of his magnum opuses, I feel that they could have been improved by more intensive exploration of the characters and circumstances. The tales race by through successions of characters we don't have enough time to get to know thoroughly before being thrust into another setting. In my view, Tolstoy never reigned in his maximalist tendencies, even in his shorter works. Nonetheless, what we have are still vital and indispensable contributions to a titanic literary career.

Of the many covetable things that accompany reading Tolstoy perhaps the most desirable is that he never lets one down. Some stories are more stirring than others, but his brilliance as a story teller unfailingly shines through. The highlights in this collection are “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, an unforgettable description of the slow and tortured death of its protagonist, and “Hadji Murat”, which relates the remarkable escapades of a wild and unpredictable Tatar bandit hero among the rugged Caucasian hills. Tolstoy follows no formula. His stories vary in style and subject. The only quality they share is that they never disappoint.

These stories are nothing less than a glimpse into Russian life, Of peasant and nobility right up to royal life of the czars. It is amazing in its telling and honest in its presentation. I would recommend these stories to anyone interested in Russian life at that time.

It is always a pleasure to read Tolstoy, especially when the book is so well-finished like this one. Deckle-edged, high quality paper and hardcover. The translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky is great, too. Unfortunately, War and Peace with deckle edge is too expensive, it shouldn't be, although I know it's huge, over 1000 pages.

As an account of the demise of a very identifiable person, this is a gripping tale, totally proving that no matter how many friends and family one has, one always dies alone. The other stories in the collection aren't as worthwhile, unless you just enjoy Tolstoy's manner of writing and the times being depicted.

Some of these stories I had read before in other books or in school during literature class, however I bought the book as well for the beautiful hard cover, and upon arrival it looked exactly like I would have expected from the picture on the website. Yes I know not to judge a book by its cover, but this one is a combination of both good contents and nice cover :) I love reading Tolstoy. He is one of the few writers I read from his era that writes so down to earth. Very ahead of his own time.

I read some of the short stories - I was simply fascinated.

tem várias manchas que parecem de oxidação na capa e nas primeiras páginas o que é bem visível considerando a capa branca. minha suspeita é o livro deve ter sido armazenado embaixo de algo metálico que estava oxidado e acabou manchando o livro. muito decepcionante

Tolstoy is a master!!

“The Death of Ivan Illych” can change the reader’s life.