RexLegendi reviewed De dood van Ivan Iljitsj
Review of 'De dood van Ivan Iljitsj' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
After Fyodor Dostoevsky’s [b:Notes from the Underground|436982|Notes from the Underground|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400865818l/436982.SY75.jpg|50717723] and [b:The Brothers Karamazov|4935|The Brothers Karamazov|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616243056l/4935.SY75.jpg|3393910], The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886) by Leo Tolstoy is the third Russian novel I’ve read in a row that profoundly explores the essence of humanity. As the title suggests, Tolstoy begins with the death of Ivan Ilych, an official at the Court of Justice, in February 1882. Initially shocked, his colleagues soon shift their focus to the professional opportunities his passing presents. The author then recounts the life of Ivan, who grows increasingly introspective as his illness progresses.
It struck me how timeless Tolstoy’s novella truly is. Ivan could easily have been a well-educated boomer or millennial with a successful career overshadowing his private life, always in pursuit of something better. At one point, he believes life is as it should be: easy, enjoyable, and respectable. …
After Fyodor Dostoevsky’s [b:Notes from the Underground|436982|Notes from the Underground|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400865818l/436982.SY75.jpg|50717723] and [b:The Brothers Karamazov|4935|The Brothers Karamazov|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616243056l/4935.SY75.jpg|3393910], The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886) by Leo Tolstoy is the third Russian novel I’ve read in a row that profoundly explores the essence of humanity. As the title suggests, Tolstoy begins with the death of Ivan Ilych, an official at the Court of Justice, in February 1882. Initially shocked, his colleagues soon shift their focus to the professional opportunities his passing presents. The author then recounts the life of Ivan, who grows increasingly introspective as his illness progresses.
It struck me how timeless Tolstoy’s novella truly is. Ivan could easily have been a well-educated boomer or millennial with a successful career overshadowing his private life, always in pursuit of something better. At one point, he believes life is as it should be: easy, enjoyable, and respectable. When illness strikes, however, Ivan is forced to confront his mortality. In my favourite scene – both beautiful and poignant – he reconciles with his situation and reflects on his past, realising that his earliest memories were, in fact, the happiest.