Describe Books As The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories
| ISBN: | 0451528808 (ISBN13: 9780451528803) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Leo Tolstoy
Paperback | Pages: 304 pages Rating: 4.11 | 11351 Users | 660 Reviews
Present About Books The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories
| Title | : | The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories |
| Author | : | Leo Tolstoy |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 304 pages |
| Published | : | April 1st 2003 by Signet Classics (first published 1886) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Short Stories. Cultural. Russia. Literature. Russian Literature |
Relation Concering Books The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories
With an Introduction and Notes by Dr T.C.B.Cook Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is best known for War and Peace and Anna Karenina, commonly regarded as amongst the greatest novels ever written. He also, however, wrote many masterly short stories, and this volume contains four of the longest and best in distinguished translations that have stood the test of time. In the early story 'Family Happiness', Tolstoy explores courtship and marriage from the point of view of a young wife. In 'The Kreutzer Sonata' he gives us a terrifying study of marital breakdown, in 'The Devil' a powerful depiction of the power of sexual temptation, and, in perhaps the finest of all, 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich', he portrays the long agony of a man gradually coming to terms with his own mortality. Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN 1840224533 here.Rating About Books The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories
Ratings: 4.11 From 11351 Users | 660 ReviewsCrit About Books The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories
Shockingly not-good. Tolstoy's shorter works suffer from the utter lack of subtlety and nuance that make W&P and AK so memorable and beautiful. Indeed: most of the stories collected here are so severe and preachy that the reader might be excused for thinking he'd happened into some sort of bizarre seminary lecture. Wealthy and noble characters "fall" and get spiritual repeatedly. That's the dominating theme. People are oversexed and should abstain. Fiction should be artless and message-ful,This contains 4 of Tolstoy's short stories, although all four are relatively long tales. I found them all a bit slow for my tastes but there is some very good stuff here that hits pretty hard. The first story is "Family Happiness," about a love affair developing between a young woman just coming of age and a considerably older man. It details the build up of passion in the relationship that then matures into a more long-term emotional bond. I found it quite good, although longer than necessary.
The story of Ivan Ilyich was like wine it goes down smoothly, but leaves a biting, succulent and lasting impression. The book is a deep and moving scrutiny of loss and absolution, in which the writer explores the dichotomy between the artificial and the authentic life. This book is probably the best account of the physiological and psychological panic, a man feels when so close to his own death. Ivan Ilych's life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible. Ivan Ilyich is
This is a clear case of It's not you, it's me! I simply wasn't ready for this. When I couldn't participate in the War and Peace-readalong due to my busy schedule, I decided to compensate by reading a short story collection by Tolstoy instead. I thought it would be quick and fun. I couldn't have been more wrong. It turns out that Tolstoy is much more philosophical and political than I expected, and since I have no knowledge whatsover on Russian history and culture, it was extremely hard for me to
It's nice to be reminded every now and then that moralization can be used to make great literature, since our literature is so dominated by the idea that moralizing is always a flaw. Tolstoy appears to have been a natural at moralizing. Others will not doubt disagree, but I'm willing to argue that the best stories here are precisely those in which the moral of the story (or morality of the author) comes through most clearly: Ivan Ilyich, of course, but also The Kreutzer Sonata, The Devil, Master
These may not be "Anna Karenina" by any means, but they are amongst Tolstoy's better work in my opinion. They are certainly worth checking out, especially for people who are unfamiliar with Tolstoy's shorter work (this being a relative term). "The Kreutzer Sonata" was a bit much of a moral tract as opposed to a story for my tastes, but I found the other stories to be very fine indeed.
Tolstoy kept it very fucking real. I find that "the Russians" material is generally surprisingly relevant for this day and age, even as early as Turgenev, and this is no exception. The first story in this collection, Family Happiness, is a bit slow and maybe the least accessible of the bunch. Still, the topic of filial life is examined in an interesting, if slightly depressing way. Everything after is gold. The kreutzner sonata is dark and examines aspects of the female condition and the male
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