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The Death of Ivan Ilych & Other Stories
The Death of Ivan Illych and Other Stories by Elizabeth Gaskell is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences―biographical, historical, and literary―to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. Chief among Tolstoy’s shorter works is The Death of Ivan Ilych, a masterful meditation on the act of dying. The first major fictional work published by Tolstoy after a mid-life psychological crisis, this novella reflects the author’s struggle to find meaning in life, a challenge Tolstoy resolved by developing a religious philosophy based on brotherly love, mutual support, and charity. These guiding principles are the dominant moral themes in The Death of Ivan Ilych, an account of the spiritual conversion of a judge―an ordinary, unthinking, vulgar man―in the face of his terrible fear about death. Also included in this volume are Family Happiness, an early work that traces the arc of a marriage; The Kreutzer Sonata, a frank tale of sexual love that shocked readers when it first appeared; and Hadji Murád, Tolstoy’s final masterpiece about power politics, intrigue, and colonial conquest.
David Goldfarb teaches Polish, Russian, and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University. He has written about Witold Gombrowicz, Bruno Schulz, Zbigniew Herbert, Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, Mikhail Lermontov, and Nikolai Gogol.
David Goldfarb teaches Polish, Russian, and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University. He has written about Witold Gombrowicz, Bruno Schulz, Zbigniew Herbert, Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, Mikhail Lermontov, and Nikolai Gogol.
400 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2003
85 people are currently reading
595 people want to read
About the author
Leo Tolstoy
7,941 books28.4k followersLev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой; most appropriately used Liev Tolstoy; commonly Leo Tolstoy in Anglophone countries) was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist fiction. Many consider Tolstoy to have been one of the world's greatest novelists. Tolstoy is equally known for his complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic and ascetic views, which he adopted after a moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870s, after which he also became noted as a moral thinker and social reformer.
His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
January 30, 2024
I love Tolstoy and if you want to love him too or strength and your love for him read this collection. They’re so good and thought-provoking and just an amazing. they’re especially good if you’re intimidated to get into his bigger works.
February 3, 2019
In writing "Family Happiness," "The Death of Ivan Ilych," "The Kreutzer Sonata," and "Hadji Murad," not to mention War and Peace, etc., Tolstoy deployed and displayed his tremendous intellect, aesthetic gifts, and his peculiarly dispassionate but hard-hitting moral anger: a definite attitude toward the failings of man and human institutions like marriage, war, and imperial rule.
"Family Happiness" revolves around an older family friend falling in love with an orphaned girl who has just attained marriageable age. Against his better own better judgment, he proposes. As she matures, she discovers the cosmopolitan appeal of St. Petersburg, which her husband already has come to disdain. The best scenes in this affecting descent into realistic accommodation as opposed to romantic love have to do with the two of them baiting one another, withdrawing from one another, and generally underperforming their personal values. In the end, their love still glows but casts off neither flames nor light.
"The Death of Ivan Ilych" is a harsh judgment on an upwardly mobile, vaguely noble bureaucrat who learns that death, which is supposed to happen to someone else, is happening to him. The way he is emotionally abandoned by his family before he expires is highly educational and not altogether unwarranted. And then he tumbles into the tunnel of no return, a ghastly journey. This is a masterpiece of narration and irony. Tolstoy always has a grip on his subject here.
The same cannot quite be said of "The Kreutzer Sonata," which suffers from a gassy run-up to the facts of the matter, i.e., our protagonist's transformation from a civilized human being into a murderer who gets away with it...not that he ends up pleased with what he's done.
Hadji Murad is a tale of Russias endless assaults on the peoples of the Caucasus region. Hadji is a chieftain at war with another chieftain. He's decided to align himself with the Russians in the hopes of rescuing his kidnapped family and taking over as the principal lord of of the Muslim lands (under Russia's control, however). This is a majestic story of action, ethnographic insight, and cross-cultural cynicism. One really striking passage is the portrayal of the czar, brutally and blindly pulling strings from St. Petersburg. Tolstoy leaps back and forth between dramatically different settings with complete ease and authority, and here, I would say, his ghastly ending not only comports with historical realities but also reflects a naturalistic as opposed to moralistic perspective. He cannot like but cannot dispute Hadji Murad's fate.
I've read these stories before--and so have you, I imagine--but found them worth rereading. Tolstoy is so wonderfully merciless in sorting through our frailties.
"Family Happiness" revolves around an older family friend falling in love with an orphaned girl who has just attained marriageable age. Against his better own better judgment, he proposes. As she matures, she discovers the cosmopolitan appeal of St. Petersburg, which her husband already has come to disdain. The best scenes in this affecting descent into realistic accommodation as opposed to romantic love have to do with the two of them baiting one another, withdrawing from one another, and generally underperforming their personal values. In the end, their love still glows but casts off neither flames nor light.
"The Death of Ivan Ilych" is a harsh judgment on an upwardly mobile, vaguely noble bureaucrat who learns that death, which is supposed to happen to someone else, is happening to him. The way he is emotionally abandoned by his family before he expires is highly educational and not altogether unwarranted. And then he tumbles into the tunnel of no return, a ghastly journey. This is a masterpiece of narration and irony. Tolstoy always has a grip on his subject here.
The same cannot quite be said of "The Kreutzer Sonata," which suffers from a gassy run-up to the facts of the matter, i.e., our protagonist's transformation from a civilized human being into a murderer who gets away with it...not that he ends up pleased with what he's done.
Hadji Murad is a tale of Russias endless assaults on the peoples of the Caucasus region. Hadji is a chieftain at war with another chieftain. He's decided to align himself with the Russians in the hopes of rescuing his kidnapped family and taking over as the principal lord of of the Muslim lands (under Russia's control, however). This is a majestic story of action, ethnographic insight, and cross-cultural cynicism. One really striking passage is the portrayal of the czar, brutally and blindly pulling strings from St. Petersburg. Tolstoy leaps back and forth between dramatically different settings with complete ease and authority, and here, I would say, his ghastly ending not only comports with historical realities but also reflects a naturalistic as opposed to moralistic perspective. He cannot like but cannot dispute Hadji Murad's fate.
I've read these stories before--and so have you, I imagine--but found them worth rereading. Tolstoy is so wonderfully merciless in sorting through our frailties.
May 22, 2011
What a brutal read. The great Russian novelists had a way of attacking psychological phenomena without any frill or pretense. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" strips bare a typical, mundane life by methodically removing each meaningless layer until the reader is left with the same terrible realization of the protagonist: that there is nothing more than this.
Tolstoy doesn't guide you toward any interpretation or offer a soothing moral. This is a story that treats death as starkly and unromantically as death treats us. Have you lived as you "ought to live"?
Tolstoy doesn't guide you toward any interpretation or offer a soothing moral. This is a story that treats death as starkly and unromantically as death treats us. Have you lived as you "ought to live"?
October 23, 2012
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 psyche in remarkably prescient fashion. The titular (what a great word) story is fantastic in its own right, though you can get the gist of it just from the litany of commentary on it. The last story, HadjiMurad, was the most interesting to me. It is a narrative, based on true events and real folk hero Hadji Murad, depicting the conflict between the Russians and the people of Chechnya. Tolstoy makes excellent use of omniscient narration and shows surprising empathy for the Avars and respect for the diligence and loyalty of their culture. There is also no shortage of political commentary; Tolstoy does not hesitate to rip into the lofty lifestyles of Russian gentry. After this introduction to his work, I'm (almost) ready for War & Peace.
November 10, 2023
A short opinion about each short story in this quite short collection:
"Family Happiness" - Wow, so much of this could have been avoided by just opening your mouth and communicating.
"The Death of Ivan Ilych" - Beautifully tragic as we all realize each of us is in fact Caius.
"The Kruetzer Sonata" - Really feel sorry for the narrator stuck listening to this incel manifesto rant full of $5 SAT words.
"Hadji Murad" - Also beautifully tragic because it seemed inevitable.
It's always a bit hard to rate short story collections because some resonate more than others. Still, it was pretty good - maybe I'll get around to reading War and Peace sometime. 4 stars.
"Family Happiness" - Wow, so much of this could have been avoided by just opening your mouth and communicating.
"The Death of Ivan Ilych" - Beautifully tragic as we all realize each of us is in fact Caius.
"The Kruetzer Sonata" - Really feel sorry for the narrator stuck listening to this incel manifesto rant full of $5 SAT words.
"Hadji Murad" - Also beautifully tragic because it seemed inevitable.
It's always a bit hard to rate short story collections because some resonate more than others. Still, it was pretty good - maybe I'll get around to reading War and Peace sometime. 4 stars.
September 13, 2021
this is actually 4 different novellas. the death of ivan ilych is one of the greatest books ever written. the others in this volume arent as wonderful so its hard to rate overall
Family happiness is a 4
kreutzer sonata is a 4 even though the first half is a lot of superfluous ranting (the second half is a 5, the first half is a 3)
hadji murad is i guess a 3
so ill give it the average. but definitely read death of ivan ilych. you wont regret it.
Family happiness is a 4
kreutzer sonata is a 4 even though the first half is a lot of superfluous ranting (the second half is a 5, the first half is a 3)
hadji murad is i guess a 3
so ill give it the average. but definitely read death of ivan ilych. you wont regret it.
March 13, 2025
All of these stories were so fire except for hadji murad Tolstoy did not finish off his career strong
September 3, 2025
Reading this and Dunio elegies- both of which express a similar outlook on death- at the same time really is making me realize just how brutal Russian lit can be. Damn y’all I’m like let me get back to my other death book to find some joy!! But this is brilliant, just insanely sad story after insanely sad story. Happy summer y’all!!! Tolstoy I’ve grown quite fond of you.
September 8, 2011
During my senior year in college, I was lacking an elective and like most students, wanting something interesting but equally an “easy A”. I heard terrific ravings about a “Sociology of Death and Dying” course so I signed up. It was, by far, my favorite course. No tests and just discussions and assignment regarding the psychological and sociological factors of death amongst cultures and individuals. It was amazing. We even had the county coroner come into the class to speak! Back to the point: it was in this class that I had to read “The Death of Ivan Ilych”. I wasn’t complaining, since Tolstoy is one of the best authors to date. Fast forward many years later to the present. I decided to re-read this book (mostly focusing on “The Death of Ivan Ilych”).
What can I say that hasn’t been said before about this book or Tolstoy? Not much. However, I must contend that the specific short story on Ivan is a must-read. Fully encompassing the mental break-down of an individual who thought he “lived life correctly” and then battles the struggle to live while also accepting his impending death after he becomes ill; is absolutely stupendous. Like always, Tolstoy expresses emotions that are so deep and relatable that you feel he understood every human on his earth. Furthermore, he isn’t afraid to say what others might shy away from and yet articulates it in a beautiful and almost poetic way.
Ivan Ilych followed the typical steps (denial, anger, acceptance, etc) of a grieving man; expect he was grieving for himself. Alternating between self-pity, anger towards others for living while he was dying, and the faith and hope that maybe he will recover is heartbreaking and also applicable. My favorite emotions he experienced was the anger toward his family when he can see himself in them (for example: physically such as his children); and is burdened by the fact that they continue to live healthily while he perishes: such base human reactions and yet so multi-dimensional at the same time.
Never does Tolstoy become boring and this is also the case with Ivan. An extraordinary classic which should not be skipped.
What can I say that hasn’t been said before about this book or Tolstoy? Not much. However, I must contend that the specific short story on Ivan is a must-read. Fully encompassing the mental break-down of an individual who thought he “lived life correctly” and then battles the struggle to live while also accepting his impending death after he becomes ill; is absolutely stupendous. Like always, Tolstoy expresses emotions that are so deep and relatable that you feel he understood every human on his earth. Furthermore, he isn’t afraid to say what others might shy away from and yet articulates it in a beautiful and almost poetic way.
Ivan Ilych followed the typical steps (denial, anger, acceptance, etc) of a grieving man; expect he was grieving for himself. Alternating between self-pity, anger towards others for living while he was dying, and the faith and hope that maybe he will recover is heartbreaking and also applicable. My favorite emotions he experienced was the anger toward his family when he can see himself in them (for example: physically such as his children); and is burdened by the fact that they continue to live healthily while he perishes: such base human reactions and yet so multi-dimensional at the same time.
Never does Tolstoy become boring and this is also the case with Ivan. An extraordinary classic which should not be skipped.
March 10, 2018
This book was not exactly what I expected. It seemed like the effort of the author to deal with struggles in his personal life. These stories are filled with brokenness, relationships turned sour, and disappointments. It's not that they made me feel depressed, but they presented moral conflicts in the characters in a way that I became increasingly convinced would result in failure each time. It's like the dark side of human nature presented by Flannery O'Connor, but without the dark humor: just the darkness. And no glimpse of available redemption. That made the book of short stories a bit tedious, even though written in an engaging style and an entertaining manner.
I was touched by the final story, Hadji Murad. Early in the book we see the main character seeking refuge in a community of friends. Later, though Hadji Murad has joined forces with the Russians, the Russian forces destroy this village and its inhabitants with an almost casual disregard. So often war has been the play thing of nobility, with little thought of the consequences on the ground - and that still happens today, sadly. My divergence from the Republican Party and alignment with the libertarian perspective has shown me how war is considered almost glamorous by some politicians, though in reality it is a horror. This well written short story made that horror real to me, and it revealed the flippancy of the politicians and generals to be nothing short of evil. For that, I am going back to give this four stars rather than three, because I think I will never think of war again without reflecting on Tolstoy's portrayal of its cruelty here.
I was touched by the final story, Hadji Murad. Early in the book we see the main character seeking refuge in a community of friends. Later, though Hadji Murad has joined forces with the Russians, the Russian forces destroy this village and its inhabitants with an almost casual disregard. So often war has been the play thing of nobility, with little thought of the consequences on the ground - and that still happens today, sadly. My divergence from the Republican Party and alignment with the libertarian perspective has shown me how war is considered almost glamorous by some politicians, though in reality it is a horror. This well written short story made that horror real to me, and it revealed the flippancy of the politicians and generals to be nothing short of evil. For that, I am going back to give this four stars rather than three, because I think I will never think of war again without reflecting on Tolstoy's portrayal of its cruelty here.
Want to read
December 10, 2023Contains the stories:
Family Happiness -
The Death of Ivan Ilych - 3/5 - an examination of death and the human failing in which we cling to a belief that death will avoid us if we live the "right" kind of life.
The Kreutzer Sonata - 4/5 - This controversial novella - widely censored upon its initial 1889 release - is one of Tolstoy's later works, appearing about a decade after his spiritual awakening as more fully documented in 'A Confession.' In an Epilogue published about a year after the novella, Tolstoy confirmed that he meant the story to be an argument for chastity and abstinence. Modern readers will likely be more interested in the story as an examination of how people deceive each other in society and in the decay of marital relationships over time.
Hadji Murad -
Family Happiness -
The Death of Ivan Ilych - 3/5 - an examination of death and the human failing in which we cling to a belief that death will avoid us if we live the "right" kind of life.
The Kreutzer Sonata - 4/5 - This controversial novella - widely censored upon its initial 1889 release - is one of Tolstoy's later works, appearing about a decade after his spiritual awakening as more fully documented in 'A Confession.' In an Epilogue published about a year after the novella, Tolstoy confirmed that he meant the story to be an argument for chastity and abstinence. Modern readers will likely be more interested in the story as an examination of how people deceive each other in society and in the decay of marital relationships over time.
Hadji Murad -
February 19, 2012
"The previous history of Ivan Ilych was the simplest, the most ordinary, and the most awful."
Brilliant. Tolstoy tackles raw emotion in a powerful, tasteful form. I put off reading this one for quite some time out of fear but I should have known that I could trust Tolstoy. This masterpiece compels you to examine the baseness of empty, materialistic values and reminds us to take heed in the way we choose to live our lives ... to be able to discern what is right from what is merely acceptable and conventional.
Brilliant. Tolstoy tackles raw emotion in a powerful, tasteful form. I put off reading this one for quite some time out of fear but I should have known that I could trust Tolstoy. This masterpiece compels you to examine the baseness of empty, materialistic values and reminds us to take heed in the way we choose to live our lives ... to be able to discern what is right from what is merely acceptable and conventional.
June 7, 2022
Tolstoy was just sitting in the dark, thinking of all the dark things outside his walls. My man's was straight up depressed.
August 24, 2023
This collection included the following stories
Family Happiness - 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Death of Ivan Ilych - 2 stars ⭐️⭐️
The Kreutzer Sonata - 1 star ⭐️
Hadji Murad - 1.5 star ⭐️ 1/2
Disappointing, underwhelming. This book may be a victim of following 2 amazing 5 star reads and maybe a little bit of reading burnout.
I’ve heard such good things about The Death of Ivan Ilych. It was just “okay” - I feel like I completely missed the point.
Tolstoy had some great epic novels. Anna Karenina is right up there near my all-time favorite. These novellas just didn’t cut the mustard for me.
Family Happiness - 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Death of Ivan Ilych - 2 stars ⭐️⭐️
The Kreutzer Sonata - 1 star ⭐️
Hadji Murad - 1.5 star ⭐️ 1/2
Disappointing, underwhelming. This book may be a victim of following 2 amazing 5 star reads and maybe a little bit of reading burnout.
I’ve heard such good things about The Death of Ivan Ilych. It was just “okay” - I feel like I completely missed the point.
Tolstoy had some great epic novels. Anna Karenina is right up there near my all-time favorite. These novellas just didn’t cut the mustard for me.
January 1, 2014
Before diving into one of Tolstoy's bigger projects I wanted to check out some of his smaller works and I thought this was a good place to start. Hadji Murad kind of felt like what a mini War and Peace would be (I guess), with the way he seamlessly weaves these multiple stories together, and as quickly as he ends a characters' narrative he starts anew. The Death of Ivan Illych was probably the best story here and it also had the biggest affect on me. Tolstoy really knows how to get the reader in these character's conscious, and explore these existential and emotional crises they are enduring (he also does this well in the Kreutzer Sonata). In Ivan Illych Tolstoy shows a judge not quite in his golden years, with a haphazard-ish family life who slowly comes to the realization that he is sick and dying (in the worst way possible; really makes you appreciate modern medicine). While Tolstoy can effortlessly navigate the titular character's conscious filled with anxiety, fear, remorse, hatred, hope, etc., there's even more depth shown. We experience the societal affect his dying has, especially shown in the reactions of his colleagues on the discovery of his death: relief, that is better someone else instead of them, the exact state of mind Ilych seems to have himself at the beginning of his illness. Ilych also experiences even more distress, that of being a burden on his family, and the disbelief his family has in the finality of his illness. He also touches on themes of regretfulness in regards to his professional and family life; overall just a punch to the gut of a story. In Family Happiness Tolstoy takes on young lust/love, marriage, and naivety, and the eventual fallout from this setup. The ending of the story went a different direction than I thought it would, with the couple staying together and the main character realizing her love for her husband would not be what it was and that it is now involved with their child. Can't wait to move on to one of his more hefty works next!
July 6, 2025
The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy http://realini.blogspot.com/2023/03/a...
10 out of 10
On the one hand, this http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/07/t... is a magnum opus, one of the greatest books ever written – I think it is included on the list compiled by the Norwegian Book Club, which had asked the luminaries of our age, Nadine Gordimer, Salman Rushdie, John Irving, Umberto Eco and others to name the crème de la crème – but on the other hand, I am asking myself ‘why on earth do you need to get on with this morbid subject?
Especially since I have been here before, but then, there is this version on YouTube, read by our greatest living artist, Victor Rebengiuc – in the same league with Jack Nicholson http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/10/l... we have had George Constantin, a divinity – and so I said let us hear this, only to see that death is so close and I could be Ivan, soon enough
Another great Russian, Fyodor Dostoyevsky http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/07/t... has had the misfortune to be sentenced to death, and facing the firing squad, he divided his last three minutes in…three, one to say goodbye to his family and friends, another to pass his life in front of him, and the last to admire a ray of sunshine, falling on a bell tower nearby
At least this is the version I remember, as it was told (or maybe I modified it, with a failing memory, however implausible it would be, seeing as I have repeated it more than one thousand times) by our sublime professor of literature, Anton Chevorchian, this is where my humble gratitude needs to be expressed, in one of his classes…now I try to remember if we ever had ‘world literature’, or the teacher was such a dissident that he talked about the world, in a communist class in the Ceausescu regime…
Be that as it may, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is pardoned in the last minute, or maybe the czar had just wanted to scare him with a bogus death moment, and then he lives, Alhamdulillah, and writes about surviving -whereas Leo Tolstoy tells us about the agony of Ivan Ilych, his denial of God, the suffering, humility, the forgetfulness of the others, colleagues think of the venues opened for their promotions, by The Death of Ivan Ilych, the moribund has not had the chance to live as we must, married a woman he did not love, with whom he fought, and at the end, it looks as if ‘his life had not been what it must have been’
Dostoyevsky gives us the advice that can change our lives, when we read one of his masterpieces http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/06/c... for in front of death, we see that we must live the moment – as Tolstoy would put it in one of his most memorable quotes, which I now have inscribed on a short ‘the most important moment is now, the most important person is the one in front of you, and you need to make that person happy’, words to this effect – and that is crucial
The author of Crime and Punishment realized in front of the executioners that he would rather live on an island, nay, a bare rock, in the middle of the ocean than die – this is something he inserts in his chefs d’oeuvre, we have the man that faces extinction think of that, but we know this is what had happened to the author himself, it is based on acute reality, and we better think of this and use it in our lives
We also have the Stoics to learn from, and apply their deep understanding, for we have the moment, but that is the only certainty http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/08/s... and we have to seize the moment…in The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky , we are told about a drawing in which a man is in the office and thinks of golf, in the next window, he is at the golf club and he thinks of…sex, but while he has sex, he thinks of the office, notwithstanding that this was a joke, it reaches to a serious problem, for this is happening to many of us, however different in manner
Trying to reach Maximum Experience, create conditions for Being in The Zone is a way to cope with death – Flow http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/10/f... is a classic by the co-founder of positive psychology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and it details the conditions – you are in control, nothing else matters, there are clear goals, it is an autotelic experience, feedback is constant and immediate, time changes, minutes seem long hours and vice versa, challenges meet expectations
What I would suggest to Ivan Ilych is to look at ‘Happiness Activity No 7: Learning to Forgive –keeping a journal or writing a letter in which you work on letting go of anger and resentment toward one or more individuals who’ve hurt or wronged you’ and the rest of the wondrous book The How of Happiness http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/t... but that is just in jest
It is easy to say, oh, you need strategies to cope with adversity and trauma, when the man is dying, it is a different game, and I shudder to think of it…brrr, let me just run away from this and mention the example of incredible forgiveness, for the same How of Happiness, where a young woman was killed in south Africa, but her mother would travel there, and talked to the killer, and she not only forgave him, but she would start a sort of ONG with him, if I remember well, anyway, that is extreme forgiveness for you
Let me just mention Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl, yet another classic of psychology and you find there the importance of having meaning, a notion that is there, in the title http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/05/m... the experience of the Nazi camps is used in writing this
Now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
10 out of 10
On the one hand, this http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/07/t... is a magnum opus, one of the greatest books ever written – I think it is included on the list compiled by the Norwegian Book Club, which had asked the luminaries of our age, Nadine Gordimer, Salman Rushdie, John Irving, Umberto Eco and others to name the crème de la crème – but on the other hand, I am asking myself ‘why on earth do you need to get on with this morbid subject?
Especially since I have been here before, but then, there is this version on YouTube, read by our greatest living artist, Victor Rebengiuc – in the same league with Jack Nicholson http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/10/l... we have had George Constantin, a divinity – and so I said let us hear this, only to see that death is so close and I could be Ivan, soon enough
Another great Russian, Fyodor Dostoyevsky http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/07/t... has had the misfortune to be sentenced to death, and facing the firing squad, he divided his last three minutes in…three, one to say goodbye to his family and friends, another to pass his life in front of him, and the last to admire a ray of sunshine, falling on a bell tower nearby
At least this is the version I remember, as it was told (or maybe I modified it, with a failing memory, however implausible it would be, seeing as I have repeated it more than one thousand times) by our sublime professor of literature, Anton Chevorchian, this is where my humble gratitude needs to be expressed, in one of his classes…now I try to remember if we ever had ‘world literature’, or the teacher was such a dissident that he talked about the world, in a communist class in the Ceausescu regime…
Be that as it may, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is pardoned in the last minute, or maybe the czar had just wanted to scare him with a bogus death moment, and then he lives, Alhamdulillah, and writes about surviving -whereas Leo Tolstoy tells us about the agony of Ivan Ilych, his denial of God, the suffering, humility, the forgetfulness of the others, colleagues think of the venues opened for their promotions, by The Death of Ivan Ilych, the moribund has not had the chance to live as we must, married a woman he did not love, with whom he fought, and at the end, it looks as if ‘his life had not been what it must have been’
Dostoyevsky gives us the advice that can change our lives, when we read one of his masterpieces http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/06/c... for in front of death, we see that we must live the moment – as Tolstoy would put it in one of his most memorable quotes, which I now have inscribed on a short ‘the most important moment is now, the most important person is the one in front of you, and you need to make that person happy’, words to this effect – and that is crucial
The author of Crime and Punishment realized in front of the executioners that he would rather live on an island, nay, a bare rock, in the middle of the ocean than die – this is something he inserts in his chefs d’oeuvre, we have the man that faces extinction think of that, but we know this is what had happened to the author himself, it is based on acute reality, and we better think of this and use it in our lives
We also have the Stoics to learn from, and apply their deep understanding, for we have the moment, but that is the only certainty http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/08/s... and we have to seize the moment…in The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky , we are told about a drawing in which a man is in the office and thinks of golf, in the next window, he is at the golf club and he thinks of…sex, but while he has sex, he thinks of the office, notwithstanding that this was a joke, it reaches to a serious problem, for this is happening to many of us, however different in manner
Trying to reach Maximum Experience, create conditions for Being in The Zone is a way to cope with death – Flow http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/10/f... is a classic by the co-founder of positive psychology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and it details the conditions – you are in control, nothing else matters, there are clear goals, it is an autotelic experience, feedback is constant and immediate, time changes, minutes seem long hours and vice versa, challenges meet expectations
What I would suggest to Ivan Ilych is to look at ‘Happiness Activity No 7: Learning to Forgive –keeping a journal or writing a letter in which you work on letting go of anger and resentment toward one or more individuals who’ve hurt or wronged you’ and the rest of the wondrous book The How of Happiness http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/t... but that is just in jest
It is easy to say, oh, you need strategies to cope with adversity and trauma, when the man is dying, it is a different game, and I shudder to think of it…brrr, let me just run away from this and mention the example of incredible forgiveness, for the same How of Happiness, where a young woman was killed in south Africa, but her mother would travel there, and talked to the killer, and she not only forgave him, but she would start a sort of ONG with him, if I remember well, anyway, that is extreme forgiveness for you
Let me just mention Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl, yet another classic of psychology and you find there the importance of having meaning, a notion that is there, in the title http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/05/m... the experience of the Nazi camps is used in writing this
Now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
January 5, 2018
It was interesting to get 4 different stories in one collection-all 4 being dark and gloomy but in unique ways. "Family Happiness" is written from a 1st person perspective of the young woman and I was reminded a little of Jane Eyre in some parts. She falls in love with an older man, and puts all her thought into working to please him. Later on things fall apart. .
"The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is a macabre tale with a thorough description of a man's dying process. His charmed life and materialism become meaningless as death overtakes him. And death is begun with such a trifling episode in his life.
"The Kreutzer Sonata" is along the style of Dostoevsky and good ol' Raskolnikov. I was deeply frustrated by how mad, manipulative, and self-centered the main character was. His wife was far from perfect, but he totally set her up. He gave unnecessary torture to himself too. It makes for a good story though!
"Hadji Murád" is one of those adventurous old-timey war tales and had enough action going on to keep me intrigued although this type of story and setting is not my type at all.
"The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is a macabre tale with a thorough description of a man's dying process. His charmed life and materialism become meaningless as death overtakes him. And death is begun with such a trifling episode in his life.
"The Kreutzer Sonata" is along the style of Dostoevsky and good ol' Raskolnikov. I was deeply frustrated by how mad, manipulative, and self-centered the main character was. His wife was far from perfect, but he totally set her up. He gave unnecessary torture to himself too. It makes for a good story though!
"Hadji Murád" is one of those adventurous old-timey war tales and had enough action going on to keep me intrigued although this type of story and setting is not my type at all.
October 2, 2016
This is Tolstoy--like his novels, but shorter (perhaps novella-length). I get the feeling they all started by Tolstoy thinking about some character in an extreme emotional state, then imagining in detail how he or she could get there.
Family Happiness -- A family is blissfully happy in its own way, then starts wondering if maybe they aren't as happy as they used to be.
The Death of Ivan Ilych -- A comfortable bourgeois comes down with a terminal illness and has to confront his mortality.
The Kreutzer Sonata -- A man in a loveless marriage is driven to extremes of jealousy when his wife plays a sonata with a young piano teacher.
Hadji Murad -- A renowned Tatar chieftain comes over to the Russian side during their conquest of the Caucasus in the 1850s, but his family remains prisoners of a ruthless rival. Tolstoy himself served in this campaign, and his experiences there led to his later pacifism.
Family Happiness -- A family is blissfully happy in its own way, then starts wondering if maybe they aren't as happy as they used to be.
The Death of Ivan Ilych -- A comfortable bourgeois comes down with a terminal illness and has to confront his mortality.
The Kreutzer Sonata -- A man in a loveless marriage is driven to extremes of jealousy when his wife plays a sonata with a young piano teacher.
Hadji Murad -- A renowned Tatar chieftain comes over to the Russian side during their conquest of the Caucasus in the 1850s, but his family remains prisoners of a ruthless rival. Tolstoy himself served in this campaign, and his experiences there led to his later pacifism.
May 20, 2020
This was the second work by Tolstoy I finished (still working my way through War & Peace). Once again, I would never argue against the fact that Tolstoy had an incredible way with words and is probably the most quotable Russian author due to his beautiful writing, but his subjects are at times too depressing for my taste. Unstable and unhappy marriages are an ever present theme in his works. If you are a fan of Edith Wharton and her love for unhappy marriages as well, then Tolstoy is the guy for you!
October 25, 2021
This edition contains:
- Family Happiness, 1859
- The Death of Ivan Ilych, 1886
- The Kreutzer Sonata, 1889
- Hadji Murad, 1904
I was very happy with this little collection and liked the last two stories even better than the title story. Themes throughout the stories:
- Brilliant descriptions of nature and of the moment. "Life dominates Tolstoy as the soul dominates Doestoevsky", as Virgina Woolf put it.
- Psychology behind character's motivations and actions well ahead of psychological theories and most other fiction.
- Brutal honesty: in the dissolution of happiness, the long drawn-out struggle with death, and in men's attitudes towards women ("what man wants is the body").
- The hypocrisy in people's private thoughts, quackery in doctors, newspaper reporting, and actions in the military ranks leading all the way up to Czar Nicholas, who is scathingly criticized.
- Hadji Murad is a miniature War and Peace, illustrating history as "the sum of so many individual self-interested actions", as Goldfarb puts it in the intro, and taking place in Chechnya, making it interesting relative to recent history.
Quotes:
On passion, from "Family Happiness"
"But at that moment something in me responded so intensely to the excitement and passion of that hated alien man. Such an insuperable longing was in me to abandon myself to the kisses of that coarse and handsome mouth, to the embraces of those white hands with delicate veins and rings on their fingers. Such a craving possessed me to fling myself headlong into the inviting abyss of forbidden pleasures that had suddenly opened at my feet."
from "The Kreutzer Sonata":
"Yes, but that is true only in novels, but never in real life. In real life this preference for one person rather than another may occasionally last for a year, more frequently it is measured by months, or even by weeks or days or hours."
On marriage, from "The Death of Ivan Ilych":
"He perceived that matrimony, at least with his wife, was not invariably conducive to the pleasures and properties of life; but, on the contrary, often destructive of them, and that it was therefore essential to erect some barrier to protect himself from these disturbances."
from the "Kreutzer Sonata":
"Exist? Yes, but why do they [marriages] exist? They have existed and exist for people who see in marriage something sacred - a sacrament which is entered into before God - for such people it exists. Among us, people get married, seeing nothing in marriage except copulation, and the result is either deception or violence. When it is deception it is very easy to endure. Husband and wife only deceive people into believing that they are living a monogamous marriage, but they are really practicing polygamy and polyandry."
and this, describing the honeymoon:
"It was awkward, shameful, vile, pitiable, and above all, it was wearisome, unspeakably wearisome. It was something analogous to what I experienced when I was first learning to smoke, when I was sick at my stomach and salivated, and I swallowed it down and pretended that it was very pleasant. Just as from that, the delights of marriage, if there are any, will be subsequent; the husband must educate his wife in this vice, in order to procure any pleasure from it."
On men, from "The Kreutzer Sonata":
"In all novels the feelings of the heroes, the ponds, the bushes around which they wander, are described in detail; but though their mighty love to some particular maiden is described, nothing is said about what the interesting hero was doing before, not a word about his frequenting 'houses of indulgence', about his relations with chambermaids, cooks, and other women ... Improper novels of this kind - if there are any - are not put into the hands of those who most of all need to know about these things - that is, young women."
On death, from "the Death of Ivan Ilych"
"All about him did not or would not understand, and believed that everything in the world was going on as before. This was what tortured Ivan Ilych more than anything."
"...all were aware that all interest in him for other people consisted now in the question how soon he would leave this place empty, free the living from the constraint of his presence, and be set free himself from his sufferings."
On child-rearing, from "The Kreutzer Sonata" (I found it interesting this had been going on 100+ years ago, it's certainly true today):
"...she had heard from all sides and had read endlessly varied and contradictory rules: you must feed it this way, no not this way, but so; how to dress it, what to give it to drink, when to bathe it, when to put it to sleep, when to take it out to walk, ventilation, - in regard to all this, we - and she especially - learned new rules every week. Just as if children began to be born only yesterday!"
On leaders blind to reality, from "Hadji Murad":
"Continual brazen flattery from everybody around him, in the teeth of obvious facts, had brought him to such as state that he no longer saw his own inconsistencies or measured his actions and words by reality logic or even by simple common sense; but was quite convinced that all his orders, however senseless unjust and mutually contradictory they might be, became reasonably just and mutually accordant simply because he gave them."
On war, from "Hadji Murad":
"The feeling experienced by all the Chechens, from the youngest to the oldest, was stronger than hate. It was not hatred, for they did not regard those Russian dogs as human beings; but it was such revulsion, disgust and perplexity at the senseless cruelty of these creatures, that the desire to exterminate them - like the desire to exterminate rats, poisonous spiders, or wolves - was as natural an instinct as that of self-preservation."
- Family Happiness, 1859
- The Death of Ivan Ilych, 1886
- The Kreutzer Sonata, 1889
- Hadji Murad, 1904
I was very happy with this little collection and liked the last two stories even better than the title story. Themes throughout the stories:
- Brilliant descriptions of nature and of the moment. "Life dominates Tolstoy as the soul dominates Doestoevsky", as Virgina Woolf put it.
- Psychology behind character's motivations and actions well ahead of psychological theories and most other fiction.
- Brutal honesty: in the dissolution of happiness, the long drawn-out struggle with death, and in men's attitudes towards women ("what man wants is the body").
- The hypocrisy in people's private thoughts, quackery in doctors, newspaper reporting, and actions in the military ranks leading all the way up to Czar Nicholas, who is scathingly criticized.
- Hadji Murad is a miniature War and Peace, illustrating history as "the sum of so many individual self-interested actions", as Goldfarb puts it in the intro, and taking place in Chechnya, making it interesting relative to recent history.
Quotes:
On passion, from "Family Happiness"
"But at that moment something in me responded so intensely to the excitement and passion of that hated alien man. Such an insuperable longing was in me to abandon myself to the kisses of that coarse and handsome mouth, to the embraces of those white hands with delicate veins and rings on their fingers. Such a craving possessed me to fling myself headlong into the inviting abyss of forbidden pleasures that had suddenly opened at my feet."
from "The Kreutzer Sonata":
"Yes, but that is true only in novels, but never in real life. In real life this preference for one person rather than another may occasionally last for a year, more frequently it is measured by months, or even by weeks or days or hours."
On marriage, from "The Death of Ivan Ilych":
"He perceived that matrimony, at least with his wife, was not invariably conducive to the pleasures and properties of life; but, on the contrary, often destructive of them, and that it was therefore essential to erect some barrier to protect himself from these disturbances."
from the "Kreutzer Sonata":
"Exist? Yes, but why do they [marriages] exist? They have existed and exist for people who see in marriage something sacred - a sacrament which is entered into before God - for such people it exists. Among us, people get married, seeing nothing in marriage except copulation, and the result is either deception or violence. When it is deception it is very easy to endure. Husband and wife only deceive people into believing that they are living a monogamous marriage, but they are really practicing polygamy and polyandry."
and this, describing the honeymoon:
"It was awkward, shameful, vile, pitiable, and above all, it was wearisome, unspeakably wearisome. It was something analogous to what I experienced when I was first learning to smoke, when I was sick at my stomach and salivated, and I swallowed it down and pretended that it was very pleasant. Just as from that, the delights of marriage, if there are any, will be subsequent; the husband must educate his wife in this vice, in order to procure any pleasure from it."
On men, from "The Kreutzer Sonata":
"In all novels the feelings of the heroes, the ponds, the bushes around which they wander, are described in detail; but though their mighty love to some particular maiden is described, nothing is said about what the interesting hero was doing before, not a word about his frequenting 'houses of indulgence', about his relations with chambermaids, cooks, and other women ... Improper novels of this kind - if there are any - are not put into the hands of those who most of all need to know about these things - that is, young women."
On death, from "the Death of Ivan Ilych"
"All about him did not or would not understand, and believed that everything in the world was going on as before. This was what tortured Ivan Ilych more than anything."
"...all were aware that all interest in him for other people consisted now in the question how soon he would leave this place empty, free the living from the constraint of his presence, and be set free himself from his sufferings."
On child-rearing, from "The Kreutzer Sonata" (I found it interesting this had been going on 100+ years ago, it's certainly true today):
"...she had heard from all sides and had read endlessly varied and contradictory rules: you must feed it this way, no not this way, but so; how to dress it, what to give it to drink, when to bathe it, when to put it to sleep, when to take it out to walk, ventilation, - in regard to all this, we - and she especially - learned new rules every week. Just as if children began to be born only yesterday!"
On leaders blind to reality, from "Hadji Murad":
"Continual brazen flattery from everybody around him, in the teeth of obvious facts, had brought him to such as state that he no longer saw his own inconsistencies or measured his actions and words by reality logic or even by simple common sense; but was quite convinced that all his orders, however senseless unjust and mutually contradictory they might be, became reasonably just and mutually accordant simply because he gave them."
On war, from "Hadji Murad":
"The feeling experienced by all the Chechens, from the youngest to the oldest, was stronger than hate. It was not hatred, for they did not regard those Russian dogs as human beings; but it was such revulsion, disgust and perplexity at the senseless cruelty of these creatures, that the desire to exterminate them - like the desire to exterminate rats, poisonous spiders, or wolves - was as natural an instinct as that of self-preservation."
Read
July 21, 2013I am just about done with the first story in this collection, Family Happiness, which is truly masterful, and though written at a different point in time, I found many of the themes and behaviors still hold very truly today.
June 26, 2022
Stories Ranked:
1. The Death of Ivan Ilych
2. Family Happiness
3. The Kreutzer Sonata
4. Hadji Murad
Some of the most dense pieces of writing I've ever read. Once in a while I'll run into a piece of literature that is so good that it justifies the existence of art itself and these collections of short stories do that. The Death of Ivan Ilych is one of the most real and harrowing depictions of death and regret I've ever witnessed in any art medium. Ivan Ilych is an existential tale at heart about a bureaucratic man who spent his life chasing ideals of money and status, but suddenly, a malignant disease befalls Ivan. Ivan becomes aware of human fragility and the REALNESS of death. One often forgets that we too are too die and that it's not a tragedy saved for "other" people. Ivan Ilych finally realizes that death is painful to him because he did not live his life as he ought to. He did not take care of those whom he loved and caused them misery or neglected them. The final realization occurs as Ivan sees a light at the end of a tunnel signifying the end of life. The pain of his kidney is removed and he tackles death head on.
Other stories in this collection such as "Family Happiness" and "The Kreutzer Sonata" explore the nature of the holy marriage. The former story was brilliant as it exposed a new perspective on love and how one matures from passional love (youngster) to responsible love (a parent). The later explores how jealousy, anger, and lust can lead an individual in corrupting the divine union known as marriage.
Tolstoy's exploration of human relations is so rich and beautiful that I cannot possibly wait any longer to read Anna Karenina. There's something so amazing even about Tolstoy's short stories (which by the way are not short) as they feel grand and as complex as a novel. Got this for $5 at Barnes & Noble, probably the best usage of a Lincoln ever.
1. The Death of Ivan Ilych
2. Family Happiness
3. The Kreutzer Sonata
4. Hadji Murad
Some of the most dense pieces of writing I've ever read. Once in a while I'll run into a piece of literature that is so good that it justifies the existence of art itself and these collections of short stories do that. The Death of Ivan Ilych is one of the most real and harrowing depictions of death and regret I've ever witnessed in any art medium. Ivan Ilych is an existential tale at heart about a bureaucratic man who spent his life chasing ideals of money and status, but suddenly, a malignant disease befalls Ivan. Ivan becomes aware of human fragility and the REALNESS of death. One often forgets that we too are too die and that it's not a tragedy saved for "other" people. Ivan Ilych finally realizes that death is painful to him because he did not live his life as he ought to. He did not take care of those whom he loved and caused them misery or neglected them. The final realization occurs as Ivan sees a light at the end of a tunnel signifying the end of life. The pain of his kidney is removed and he tackles death head on.
Other stories in this collection such as "Family Happiness" and "The Kreutzer Sonata" explore the nature of the holy marriage. The former story was brilliant as it exposed a new perspective on love and how one matures from passional love (youngster) to responsible love (a parent). The later explores how jealousy, anger, and lust can lead an individual in corrupting the divine union known as marriage.
Tolstoy's exploration of human relations is so rich and beautiful that I cannot possibly wait any longer to read Anna Karenina. There's something so amazing even about Tolstoy's short stories (which by the way are not short) as they feel grand and as complex as a novel. Got this for $5 at Barnes & Noble, probably the best usage of a Lincoln ever.
December 7, 2021
https://delsharm.blog.ir/1400/09/16/dil
این کتاب مجموعهٔ چهار داستان بلند (نوولا) از تولستوی است که در فاصلهٔ یک سال هر کدام را جداگانه و با فاصلهٔ زمانی از یکدیگر خواندهام.
داستان اول با زاویهٔ دید و روایت زنی سرشار از احساسات بیان میشود و مضمونش در واقع نگاه اخلاقی واقعبینانهٔ تولستوی است که تجلیاش در رمان بلند او، آناکارنینا، آشکار است.
داستان دیگر، «مرگ ایوان ایلیچ» را قبلاً با ترجمهای دیگر خوانده بودم و هنوزاهنوز به نظرم بهترین کار تولستوی است. داستانی با مضمون درد و مرگ و مفهوم زندگی.
سومین داستان «سونات کرویتسر» از زوایهٔ دید مردی است که همسرش را به خاطر فضای مخلوط از غیرت و تعصب به قتل رسانده و اصلاً از کارش پشیمان نیست. شاید بشود بخشی از دیدگاههای ضدموسیقی تولستوی را در این داستان که در سالهای آخر زیستناش نوشته است جست. یادم هست سالها پیش کتابی مذهبی با مضمون ضررهای موسیقی و دلایل حرمتاش خوانده بودم و جملاتی از تولستوی در این باب آورده بود که بسیار شبیه به گفتههای راوی این داستان است. آن کتاب را الان قاعدتاً ندارم و نمیدانم مرجع آن حرفها کجا بود.
داستان آخر، «حاجی مراد»، روایت جنگاور چچنی است که به دلایل مختلف خودش را تسلیم ارتش روس میکند ولی بعداً اتفاقاتی میافتد که در این میانه ما با فضای روسیهٔ آن زمان در جنگ با مسلمانان آشنا میشویم. روسیهای که برای رسیدن به آبهای گرم سعی در تصرف بخشی از ایران را دارد که در نهایت منجر به عهدنامهٔ ترکمانچای میشود. فضای رخوت و تفرعن امپراتور روس، رقابتهای داخلی بین والیان مسلمان و در نهایت جنایاتی که روسیه در حق مردم مسلمان کرده است در این داستان بلند هویداست.
اگر بخواهیم قیاسی معالفارق داشته باشیم، تولستوی مانند سعدی است و داستایوسکی مانند حافظ. اولی سادهنویس و اخلاقگراست و دومی رند و پیچیدهگو. هر کدام در جایگاه خودشان عالی هستند.
این کتاب مجموعهٔ چهار داستان بلند (نوولا) از تولستوی است که در فاصلهٔ یک سال هر کدام را جداگانه و با فاصلهٔ زمانی از یکدیگر خواندهام.
داستان اول با زاویهٔ دید و روایت زنی سرشار از احساسات بیان میشود و مضمونش در واقع نگاه اخلاقی واقعبینانهٔ تولستوی است که تجلیاش در رمان بلند او، آناکارنینا، آشکار است.
داستان دیگر، «مرگ ایوان ایلیچ» را قبلاً با ترجمهای دیگر خوانده بودم و هنوزاهنوز به نظرم بهترین کار تولستوی است. داستانی با مضمون درد و مرگ و مفهوم زندگی.
سومین داستان «سونات کرویتسر» از زوایهٔ دید مردی است که همسرش را به خاطر فضای مخلوط از غیرت و تعصب به قتل رسانده و اصلاً از کارش پشیمان نیست. شاید بشود بخشی از دیدگاههای ضدموسیقی تولستوی را در این داستان که در سالهای آخر زیستناش نوشته است جست. یادم هست سالها پیش کتابی مذهبی با مضمون ضررهای موسیقی و دلایل حرمتاش خوانده بودم و جملاتی از تولستوی در این باب آورده بود که بسیار شبیه به گفتههای راوی این داستان است. آن کتاب را الان قاعدتاً ندارم و نمیدانم مرجع آن حرفها کجا بود.
داستان آخر، «حاجی مراد»، روایت جنگاور چچنی است که به دلایل مختلف خودش را تسلیم ارتش روس میکند ولی بعداً اتفاقاتی میافتد که در این میانه ما با فضای روسیهٔ آن زمان در جنگ با مسلمانان آشنا میشویم. روسیهای که برای رسیدن به آبهای گرم سعی در تصرف بخشی از ایران را دارد که در نهایت منجر به عهدنامهٔ ترکمانچای میشود. فضای رخوت و تفرعن امپراتور روس، رقابتهای داخلی بین والیان مسلمان و در نهایت جنایاتی که روسیه در حق مردم مسلمان کرده است در این داستان بلند هویداست.
اگر بخواهیم قیاسی معالفارق داشته باشیم، تولستوی مانند سعدی است و داستایوسکی مانند حافظ. اولی سادهنویس و اخلاقگراست و دومی رند و پیچیدهگو. هر کدام در جایگاه خودشان عالی هستند.
April 30, 2024
Every time I think of this collection, I think of “Family Happiness” and of “Hadji Murad,” but that’s not to say that the other short stories were not valuable. These were the ones most notable and memorable to me.
“Family Happiness” is raw and relatable to many. It explores human nature, desire, and relationships in a realistic way. How married couples fall in love, fall out of love, and find a different love after a time. How children are often the reason married couples stay together. I found the relationship in this story was one first of infatuation, rather than actual love, but that’s just my opinion. People who truly love each other will not lose that love over anything, even if the love wanes and grows over time, constantly experiencing ups and downs. But to detest each other completely? And to only find common ground in loving your children? That, to me, is not true love.
“Hadji Murad” was sad just as the previous short story, but in a different way. It is the story of a man who was desperate to save his family, but two opposing sides of a war only wanted to use him for their war effort and paid no attention to his desires. Hadji Murad was an admirable man in this story. An incredibly likable character, which, in my experience, is not common with Tolstoy. He loved his family, and so the ending pained me.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to read Tolstoy but is intimidated by War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Definitely enjoyable to read, especially if you enjoy classics.
“Family Happiness” is raw and relatable to many. It explores human nature, desire, and relationships in a realistic way. How married couples fall in love, fall out of love, and find a different love after a time. How children are often the reason married couples stay together. I found the relationship in this story was one first of infatuation, rather than actual love, but that’s just my opinion. People who truly love each other will not lose that love over anything, even if the love wanes and grows over time, constantly experiencing ups and downs. But to detest each other completely? And to only find common ground in loving your children? That, to me, is not true love.
“Hadji Murad” was sad just as the previous short story, but in a different way. It is the story of a man who was desperate to save his family, but two opposing sides of a war only wanted to use him for their war effort and paid no attention to his desires. Hadji Murad was an admirable man in this story. An incredibly likable character, which, in my experience, is not common with Tolstoy. He loved his family, and so the ending pained me.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to read Tolstoy but is intimidated by War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Definitely enjoyable to read, especially if you enjoy classics.
February 3, 2024
Ivan Ilych was a perfectly successful man.
He had a good job, he had a wife and two kids. He did everything the way it was supposed to be done, he expertly maneuvered socializations with his coworkers, he avoided his wife when he thought they were going to quarrel, he did all he could to advance his career. Make more money, buy a better house, get new curtains.
He lived a successful life by all standards. But he didn’t really live.
This story is absolutely devastating. For me, it tells the story of my worst fear. Dying, knowing you have done it all wrong, or, alternatively, dying knowing that you have achieved nothing with your life.
Ivan Ilych examines his life as he is dying, and realizes he has done it all wrong. He has lived wrongly, unjustly. He is dying and he has lived for nothing and it is too late for him to change anything. He has lived for moderate success and cheap pleasures and card games. He hasn’t fed his soul, he hasn’t truly lived or examined his life.
It isn’t until his last moments that he allows himself peace, and hands himself away to Death.
“Death is over” he said to himself, “it is no more.”
I live often think about when I will die, and I beg myself to keep going, so that when I am gone, some piece of me will be left behind. That I will have made my mark.
To leave my handprint on the caves wall, knowing fully well all I have done, and to be satisfied with that.
He had a good job, he had a wife and two kids. He did everything the way it was supposed to be done, he expertly maneuvered socializations with his coworkers, he avoided his wife when he thought they were going to quarrel, he did all he could to advance his career. Make more money, buy a better house, get new curtains.
He lived a successful life by all standards. But he didn’t really live.
This story is absolutely devastating. For me, it tells the story of my worst fear. Dying, knowing you have done it all wrong, or, alternatively, dying knowing that you have achieved nothing with your life.
Ivan Ilych examines his life as he is dying, and realizes he has done it all wrong. He has lived wrongly, unjustly. He is dying and he has lived for nothing and it is too late for him to change anything. He has lived for moderate success and cheap pleasures and card games. He hasn’t fed his soul, he hasn’t truly lived or examined his life.
It isn’t until his last moments that he allows himself peace, and hands himself away to Death.
“Death is over” he said to himself, “it is no more.”
I live often think about when I will die, and I beg myself to keep going, so that when I am gone, some piece of me will be left behind. That I will have made my mark.
To leave my handprint on the caves wall, knowing fully well all I have done, and to be satisfied with that.
September 13, 2023
Though The Death of Ivan Illych was probably the most narratively profound and morally hard-hitting, this Barnes and Noble Classics edition also incorporates three other novellas, including Family Happiness, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Hadji Murad.
Family Happiness - The story of two upper class nobles who marry with quite the age disparity. Mashecka is 17 and Sergei is 36. Woah. Sergei allows Masha to explore society and see its dark underbelly for herself. The experience does destroy their trust and Masheka is upset that it doesn't seem their relationship will ever be the same. Sergei informs her that the relationship has certainly changed but they stay together and this is "family happiness".
The Death of Ivan Illych - Probably the darkest, most realistic narrative of the experience of death I've ever read or of which I've heard. Delves into the tyranny of bourgeois life.
The Kreutzer Sonata - Explores the nature of jealousy and the breakdown of a marriage. Written after a Sonata written by Beethoven which does play a part in the story. Also explores guilt and forgiveness.
Hadji Murad - This one felt like the first draft of something much greater. Ended quite suddenly and without much explanation, though the comparison between one of the main character's death with the destruction of a thistle was quite poignant.
Family Happiness - The story of two upper class nobles who marry with quite the age disparity. Mashecka is 17 and Sergei is 36. Woah. Sergei allows Masha to explore society and see its dark underbelly for herself. The experience does destroy their trust and Masheka is upset that it doesn't seem their relationship will ever be the same. Sergei informs her that the relationship has certainly changed but they stay together and this is "family happiness".
The Death of Ivan Illych - Probably the darkest, most realistic narrative of the experience of death I've ever read or of which I've heard. Delves into the tyranny of bourgeois life.
The Kreutzer Sonata - Explores the nature of jealousy and the breakdown of a marriage. Written after a Sonata written by Beethoven which does play a part in the story. Also explores guilt and forgiveness.
Hadji Murad - This one felt like the first draft of something much greater. Ended quite suddenly and without much explanation, though the comparison between one of the main character's death with the destruction of a thistle was quite poignant.
August 4, 2021
The Death of Ivan Ilych: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was the first Tolstoy book I read, and it still holds up. A dying man's uncertainty around medical diagnosis hit me in a different way as a health informatics Ph.D. student than it did when I was in high school, but time changes how we perceive things.
The Kreutzer Sonata: 🌟
Have you ever sat on a train listening to a raging misogynist for three hours?
The narration style was interesting: it went from feeling like I was overhearing a conversation on a train, then listening to someone's story. But unless you're a Tolstoy devotee or enjoy stories about how people perceived sex in different time periods: this one can probably be passed on.
Family Happiness: 🌟🌟
Jane-Austen-ish, decent story, but just okay.
Hadji Murad: 🌟🌟
This is probably a story I'll need to revisit. The Caucasus setting and time period are not something I'd encountered in previous reading.
The version presented in my Barnes and Nobles edition seemed to be a poor rendition. The typesetting obviously showed footnotes, and the translation appeared to have notes broken down by chapter. But the references in the Endnotes section did not match these.
This was the first Tolstoy book I read, and it still holds up. A dying man's uncertainty around medical diagnosis hit me in a different way as a health informatics Ph.D. student than it did when I was in high school, but time changes how we perceive things.
The Kreutzer Sonata: 🌟
Have you ever sat on a train listening to a raging misogynist for three hours?
The narration style was interesting: it went from feeling like I was overhearing a conversation on a train, then listening to someone's story. But unless you're a Tolstoy devotee or enjoy stories about how people perceived sex in different time periods: this one can probably be passed on.
Family Happiness: 🌟🌟
Jane-Austen-ish, decent story, but just okay.
Hadji Murad: 🌟🌟
This is probably a story I'll need to revisit. The Caucasus setting and time period are not something I'd encountered in previous reading.
The version presented in my Barnes and Nobles edition seemed to be a poor rendition. The typesetting obviously showed footnotes, and the translation appeared to have notes broken down by chapter. But the references in the Endnotes section did not match these.
October 6, 2021
The timing was good for me to read these 4 novelas Tolstoy wrote in different periods of his life. Family Happiness speaks of a budding joyful relationship that perils into boredom. The Death of Ivan Illyich describes one man's process of dying and his lamenting examinations of his life. Kreutzer Sonata of a man so overcome by jealosy he murders his wife in a fit of rage. Hadji Murad is the based on actually people and events tale of how the Russian autocracy and military dealt with one nobel Caucaussian advisary.
When I read these I find myself wondering if I might fall prey to similar suffering and how I might go about avoiding it. It feels like Tolstoy is examing himself and inviting readers to join him in examining themselves.
When I read these I find myself wondering if I might fall prey to similar suffering and how I might go about avoiding it. It feels like Tolstoy is examing himself and inviting readers to join him in examining themselves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2025
While this story didn’t introduce anything new for me conceptually, I thought it did an excellent job of candidly laying out the horror of death without holding anything back. While I didn’t particularly enjoy the exposition and getting to know and understand Ivan during the “healthy” portion of his life, the extremely extended death scene was phenomenally done and worth the wait. The vicious cycle of partial recovery only to be met with further decline, the feelings of regret and reflection over one’s entire life, and the loathing for the empty well wishes of recovery from friends and family were all explored well.
Tolstoy did a great job giving a clear glimpse of the future I am already aware I am headed towards, yet feel incapable of escaping.
Tolstoy did a great job giving a clear glimpse of the future I am already aware I am headed towards, yet feel incapable of escaping.
December 27, 2024
Readable but not excellent. All 4 stories leave so much untouched; While they introduce compelling characters with intriguing motives and traits, the plot of each story is rather shallow especially in hadji murad. I felt as though there was 1000 better ways to end that story than the way Tolstoy did. Another critique would be the apparent misogyny that Tolstoy clearly harbors throughout this work, as someone who hasn’t read his entire body of works, Im shocked at his popularity if this is his opinion on women based on this work.
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