The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories

by Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories is a profound exploration of life, death, and the human soul. The titular novella tells the story of Ivan Ilyich, a high-court judge who lives a life of social propriety and ambition, only to confront the inevitability of his own mortality. Faced with suffering and despair, Ivan undergoes a harrowing journey of self-reflection, grappling with the emptiness of societal values and the meaning of a life well-lived.

Accompanied by a selection of other masterful short stories, Tolstoy examines themes of love, morality, faith, and the human condition with piercing psychological insight and philosophical depth. Both intimate and universal, these works challenge readers to reflect on the transient nature of life, the consequences of choices, and the search for genuine truth and compassion.

A timeless classic of Russian literature, The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories continues to resonate as a profound meditation on mortality, purpose, and the moral dimensions of existence.

Genres: Classics

381 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2025

About the author

Lev 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.

Reviews

[Kunal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only cause it stops short of the towering heights of Karenina..

[Tomas Curcio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tolstoy’s work is not consistent in this collection, especially with the two war stories at the beginning, but he certainly does make a case for the human spirit. I picked this collection up to specifically read “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” and I was definitely not disappointed. Tolstoy’s tragic stories of degradation and rejuvenation can show elements of human nature when on the brink, whether it be death or murder. His stories paint pictures of the Russian elite or the muzhik and can show the human base that we all know to be true. Some stories can run a little long or a little too short. “The Forged Coupon” tries to emulate a longwinded butterfly effect that extends across many decades and “After The Ball” deals with a short anecdote told by a man to a group of peers. These stories are fine, but the real good part is in the middle with “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” which so beautifully captures the fleeting moments of one’s life

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilhoso! Nos faz refletir muito sobre as nossas escolhas, estamos vivendo de acordo com os nossos termos ou com os termos que nos são impostos pela sociedade?
Vamos esperar ate a hora da morte para repensar a nossa vida?

[Ignacio Gasca · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Yes, Caesar is mortal and it's all right for him to die, but not me, Vanya, Ivan Ilyich, with all my feelings and thoughts - it's different for me. It can't be me having to die. That would be too horrible.”

“There is no explanation. Agony and death ... What for?”

Some beautiful absurdist, relentless and pitiable suffering going on.

From the death of a tree (in real life and in a dream) to the murder of children, mothers and fathers by a soon to be reformed holy man, I can confidently say I can’t confidently say what Tolstoy is trying to tell me.

There’s definitely a clear aspect of absurdity. Things do happen because of a random chain of cause and effect, but this doesn’t take away from its lack of rationality, as seen in the forged coupon. We see every small chain from the forging of the coupon to strings of murders and robberies to a final voyage by coupon forger and Murderer to Siberia. Despite this, I feel like I’ve woken up from a dream where I can recount what happened, but not why.

Maybe this was part of the point?

Things just happen. There are logistical reasons why they happen, but explaining or even understanding these is entirely irrelevant. The only important thing, as shown by Stepan (murderer), is how we act in response to these ‘random’ occurrences.

At the same time, I really can’t figure out his religious inclination from these stories.

In ivan Ilyich it feels like he thinks God is evil or simply non-existent - explaining why Ivan, a supposed good man, is needlessly put through these rounds of suffering and agony.

But in forged coupon there’s a strong christian feel. Criminals turning to brotherly love and repenting for the sake of salvation. Victims forgiving their trespassers. Both of which lead to a happier life for the characters.

In writing this I see maybe these views aren’t incongruous. God can be non-existent or even hateful, and yet one is capable of feeling brotherly love. One is the cure for the other. The senseless agony we see in Ivan can and is (momentarily) ameliorated by correct feelings of pity (from his peasant helper, forgot the name) and compassion (putting the legs on the shoulders).

All in all Tolstoy is just another psychedelic ridden 70s American hippie proclaiming peace and love in the gargantuan face of war and hate.

[Petro Kacur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella came into my life just before dealing with the death of a good friend of mine. So it resonated perhaps even more than its profoundly deep look at our societal attitude towards death. He gives a gripping account of Ivan Ilyich's journey through illness and into death. This description is the later half of the work which is preceded by an account of his preoccupation with the material life and relationships that are only transactional. Tolstoy is commenting, in this account of dying, what it actually means to truly live. I found the final lines a beautiful account of the possibility of salvation even in the last moments of life. Tolstoy is a giant of literature. His "Anna Karenina" is my all-time favorite novel. He is able to portray life so realistically and find deep meaning in the human condition. Beautiful. A short dive into Tolstoy's talent.

[Cathal Ó · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of very poignant stort stories that for the most part discuss the theme of death. Written during Tolstoy's own mid-life crisis, the most notable of the stories within the book is The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and it is renowned as one of the greatest novellas of all time. It is worth the read, absolutely. However, I feel that we miss out on some of the best of Tolstoy's writing as this book is a translation, and in order to enjoy it as best as possible, I would imagine that one would have to read the Russian version. The other stories are also very good. Some are more light-hearted in nature and employ satire, where others are sombre and sow seeds of discomfort.

[Elliot Södergren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories:

The Death of Ivan Ilyich: 5 stars - my favourite short story I’ve read so far this year. Psychological elements were perfectly done.

Other favourites from the collection include: Polikushka & The Forged Coupon

Honourable mention: The three deaths

The other short stories were readable, with all having great imagery

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tolstoy is one of the greatest writers ever, and his short stories are almost as good as Anna Karenina. A bit depressing, though; he had a fascination with death and dying, so this is a major theme throughout. Plot moves quickly in each story, which I loved.

[Gurpreet Kalsi]

Different stories but apart from presenting death from different perspectives, different characters in different stories had a common notion of not being seen the way they wanted to be seen.
I love when fiction gets this real!

[Kat Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about the fear of mortality. You can read the terror even Tolstoy had on the idea and the ever approaching “it” of death.

A great read that also shows human insights on death, greed, error, and redemption.

[Emil · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a crying shame that such a good writer was christian.

[Theo Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Polikushka