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The Death of Ivan Ilych and the Devil
On learning of Ivan Ilyich's sudden demise and death, his former colleagues begin vying for promotion; it seems in neither life nor death has Ivan Ilyich made any lasting impression. And, as Tolstoy takes us back to Ivan Ilyich's early days, it is a life of futility, of emptiness and primarily of spiritual barrenness that is revealed. Yet Tolstoy also reveals how, in the face of serious illness, Ivan Ilyich had made a final resolute gesture to come to terms with his mortality and to embrace his impending death.
165 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1886
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84 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 31, 2024
There are spoilers here (sort of). - However, the biggest spoiler is the title of this book. So... You know, potato, patato.
In case you didn't guess... Ivan dies.
A timeless, realistic and unapologetically honest account of a man in his last moments, during his own fait accompli. A man who thought dedicating his time to a good job that pays well and finding a wife are what life is about.
- What more could a man want, right?
I found that the noteworthy insights in this story are, firstly, the true and despicable intentions of Ivan's wife. Secondly, despite his status via a well paid career, Ivan is replaceable in the working world (as are we). His job is sought after by his jealous and vulturous colleagues. Lastly, Ivan's money cannot buy him time, nor a clean bill of health. Both the wife and colleagues want Ivan out of the way so that they can reap the benefits following his death. Ivan's son, however, is someone who I really felt sorry for. The key message I received from this story is that a life spent in pursuit of personal gain and in loving the wrong person is a wasted one.
This story successfully and expressively exposes the unfortunate and common realities of a mediocre life which people can all too often fall victim to. A powerful example of history repeating itself down the generations.
When reading this story, it reminded me of the saying... "Women and children are loved unconditionally. A man is loved on the condition that he provides something".
A tour de force novella by Tolstoy.
(Unfortunately, I cannot rememeber much of the second story "The Devil". A review will be provided when I get the chance to give this book a 2nd read.)
In case you didn't guess... Ivan dies.
A timeless, realistic and unapologetically honest account of a man in his last moments, during his own fait accompli. A man who thought dedicating his time to a good job that pays well and finding a wife are what life is about.
- What more could a man want, right?
I found that the noteworthy insights in this story are, firstly, the true and despicable intentions of Ivan's wife. Secondly, despite his status via a well paid career, Ivan is replaceable in the working world (as are we). His job is sought after by his jealous and vulturous colleagues. Lastly, Ivan's money cannot buy him time, nor a clean bill of health. Both the wife and colleagues want Ivan out of the way so that they can reap the benefits following his death. Ivan's son, however, is someone who I really felt sorry for. The key message I received from this story is that a life spent in pursuit of personal gain and in loving the wrong person is a wasted one.
This story successfully and expressively exposes the unfortunate and common realities of a mediocre life which people can all too often fall victim to. A powerful example of history repeating itself down the generations.
When reading this story, it reminded me of the saying... "Women and children are loved unconditionally. A man is loved on the condition that he provides something".
A tour de force novella by Tolstoy.
(Unfortunately, I cannot rememeber much of the second story "The Devil". A review will be provided when I get the chance to give this book a 2nd read.)
March 4, 2012
The two short stories contained here, written by Leo Tolstoy are both multi-layered and profound.
'The Death of Ivan Ilych' was first published in 1887. At the time of writing, Tolstoy was around the same age as his fictional subject, and perhaps thoughts of his own mortality were in the back of his mind when he wrote this piece. I felt that rather than death being the slowly encroaching shadow as the theme of this story, Tolstoy was expressing the futile nature of our daily lives. Our busy relentless acquisitiveness for material comforts. Our unceasing clamber for social goals and futile beliefs in social respectabilities and class. It is the life long pursuit of these goals that had de-humanised Ivan Ilych.
From the English Book of Common Prayer...In the midst of life we are in death. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
The shorter of these two stories is The Devil. The theme being summed up in Mathew Ch.5:28 'But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her committed adultery with her in his heart.'
Also Tolstoy's final paragraph in this story is another mote in the eye. 'And indeed, if Evgeny Irtenyev was insane, then everyone is just as insane, and the most insane are undoubtedly those who see in other people signs of madness that they do not see in themselves.'
Typically the writings of this holy man were banned and he was excommunicated from the Orthodox Church.
'The Death of Ivan Ilych' was first published in 1887. At the time of writing, Tolstoy was around the same age as his fictional subject, and perhaps thoughts of his own mortality were in the back of his mind when he wrote this piece. I felt that rather than death being the slowly encroaching shadow as the theme of this story, Tolstoy was expressing the futile nature of our daily lives. Our busy relentless acquisitiveness for material comforts. Our unceasing clamber for social goals and futile beliefs in social respectabilities and class. It is the life long pursuit of these goals that had de-humanised Ivan Ilych.
From the English Book of Common Prayer...In the midst of life we are in death. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
The shorter of these two stories is The Devil. The theme being summed up in Mathew Ch.5:28 'But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her committed adultery with her in his heart.'
Also Tolstoy's final paragraph in this story is another mote in the eye. 'And indeed, if Evgeny Irtenyev was insane, then everyone is just as insane, and the most insane are undoubtedly those who see in other people signs of madness that they do not see in themselves.'
Typically the writings of this holy man were banned and he was excommunicated from the Orthodox Church.
June 12, 2024
Morte de Ivan ilitch- 5*
O diabo - 3*
O diabo - 3*
November 21, 2023
You can see why one of these novellas gets read a ton and one sure doesn't.
What they have in common, though, is obsession. I think folks tend to read Ivan Ilyich more than The Devil because obsession about one's own mortality is more universally relatable than obsession about having an affair with a peasant on your estate. It's easier to abstract the one than the other.
What they hold in common is the isolation the reader feels in the protagonist's head. Each begins with a chapter of scene setting, followed by an immersion into the thoughts of a man who is in control of his path until he ceases to be in control. The reader becomes uncomfortable, feeling that this ride is going somewhere they don't want to go.
There's a temptation to make both stories more specific than they are. We can ignore the fate of Ilyich because he had some moral failing that required him seek redemption. We can ignore Evgeny because his sexual fixation is so circumstantial. The comfort comes from saying that these stories aren't about us.
But Tolstoy clearly believes that they are. In both endings of The Devil that he wrote, Tolstoy concludes with the same line: "... if Evgeny Irtenyev was insane, then everyone is just as insane, and the most insane are undoubtedly those who see in other people signs of madness that they do not see in themselves."
What they have in common, though, is obsession. I think folks tend to read Ivan Ilyich more than The Devil because obsession about one's own mortality is more universally relatable than obsession about having an affair with a peasant on your estate. It's easier to abstract the one than the other.
What they hold in common is the isolation the reader feels in the protagonist's head. Each begins with a chapter of scene setting, followed by an immersion into the thoughts of a man who is in control of his path until he ceases to be in control. The reader becomes uncomfortable, feeling that this ride is going somewhere they don't want to go.
There's a temptation to make both stories more specific than they are. We can ignore the fate of Ilyich because he had some moral failing that required him seek redemption. We can ignore Evgeny because his sexual fixation is so circumstantial. The comfort comes from saying that these stories aren't about us.
But Tolstoy clearly believes that they are. In both endings of The Devil that he wrote, Tolstoy concludes with the same line: "... if Evgeny Irtenyev was insane, then everyone is just as insane, and the most insane are undoubtedly those who see in other people signs of madness that they do not see in themselves."
December 29, 2017
Cartea contine doua nuvele:
"Moartea lui Ivan Ilyich":
Incepe chiar cu vestea mortii lui I.I., si abia apoi sunt prezentate evenimentele din firul vietii sale de la inceput pana la finalul ce il stim deja.
O viata traita doar conform dorintelor egoiste, a normelor si asteptarilor societatii este o viata traita in zadar. "Can it be that I have not lived as one ought?" suddenly came into his head. "But how not so, when I've done everything as it should be done?" Si cel mai groaznic e sa traiesti o astfel de viata: "his life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible."
Foarte realist e descrisa calatoria lui spre moarte, constientizarea mortii sale si impactul ei asupra celor din jur. Dureros de cinic si realist: colegii sunt interesati de cine ii va succeda pe pozitie la job, sotia e ingrijorata de pierderea venitului sotului si in general lumea e deranjata de inconvenienta unui muribund in preajma lor si toti traiesc intr-o plesanterie prefacuta in care nu ating subiectul mortii desi e evident ca bolnavul va muri, iar cand acesta moare sentimentul prevalent e fericirea ca a murit altul si nu propria persoana. Moartea se intampla intotdeauna altcuiva, nu noua. Noi ne traim vietile intr-o iluzie in care nu introducem moartea ca fiind o realitate si pentru noi, de aceea suntem doar "traitori" de vieti fara sa descoperim sensul ei. Pentru Tolstoy, conform cu vremurile lui, sensul vietii este sa o traiesti sincer si cu bunatate, neegoist, constientizandu-ti efemeritatea.
Tare mi-ar fi placut sa triasca Tolstoy in vremurile noastre, sub influenta curentului existentialist, mi-as fi dorit tare sa ii citesc concluziile prin prisma noilor concepte si ar fi ramas cu siguranta excomunicat pe veci de Biserica Ortodoxa Rusa, ce l-a reabilitat dupa moarte, desi in timpul vietii a fost exculs datorita scrierilor sale prea controversate.
"Diavolul":
Evgheny e un tanar ce a mostenit o mosie plina de datorii, dupa moartea tatalui. Isi propune sa rascumpere datoriile pastrand mosia intreaga, fara sa o vanda si pentru asta se muta de la St. Petersburg, inapoi la tara sa gestioneze mosia. Fiind un burlac de 26 de ani, ii lipsesc intrevederile amoroase cu femei libertine ce le avea la oras. Pentru a-si pastra sanatatea si concentrarea, nu din alte motive deci, ci doar "necesare", aranjeaza intalniri cu o taranca atragatoare din sat, al carei sot era plecat la oras la lucru. Cateva luni Evgheny isi mentine "sanatatea" in acest mod, iar apoi se casatoreste si renunta la amanta. Sotia lui e minunata si ajung sa aiba si o fetita impreuna, reuseste si cu mosia sa rezolve problemele financiare. Dar in loc de happy end, pe Evgheny il apuca obsesiile dupa amanta si zbuciumul lui interior din cauza dorintei strict fizice fata de femeia din sat il chinuie groaznic si e superb scris de Tolstoy, despre care se banuieste ca a trait ceva similar fata de o slujnica din casa lui. Ca orice dependent de un viciu, Evgheny are impresia intial ca poate oricand si usor sa renunte la amanta ("diavolul" ce de fapt a pus stapanire pe el). Spre final, solutia ce o gaseste este neasteptata si e evident ca Evgheny e doar un "traitor" condus de propriul egoism.
"Moartea lui Ivan Ilyich":
Incepe chiar cu vestea mortii lui I.I., si abia apoi sunt prezentate evenimentele din firul vietii sale de la inceput pana la finalul ce il stim deja.
O viata traita doar conform dorintelor egoiste, a normelor si asteptarilor societatii este o viata traita in zadar. "Can it be that I have not lived as one ought?" suddenly came into his head. "But how not so, when I've done everything as it should be done?" Si cel mai groaznic e sa traiesti o astfel de viata: "his life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible."
Foarte realist e descrisa calatoria lui spre moarte, constientizarea mortii sale si impactul ei asupra celor din jur. Dureros de cinic si realist: colegii sunt interesati de cine ii va succeda pe pozitie la job, sotia e ingrijorata de pierderea venitului sotului si in general lumea e deranjata de inconvenienta unui muribund in preajma lor si toti traiesc intr-o plesanterie prefacuta in care nu ating subiectul mortii desi e evident ca bolnavul va muri, iar cand acesta moare sentimentul prevalent e fericirea ca a murit altul si nu propria persoana. Moartea se intampla intotdeauna altcuiva, nu noua. Noi ne traim vietile intr-o iluzie in care nu introducem moartea ca fiind o realitate si pentru noi, de aceea suntem doar "traitori" de vieti fara sa descoperim sensul ei. Pentru Tolstoy, conform cu vremurile lui, sensul vietii este sa o traiesti sincer si cu bunatate, neegoist, constientizandu-ti efemeritatea.
Tare mi-ar fi placut sa triasca Tolstoy in vremurile noastre, sub influenta curentului existentialist, mi-as fi dorit tare sa ii citesc concluziile prin prisma noilor concepte si ar fi ramas cu siguranta excomunicat pe veci de Biserica Ortodoxa Rusa, ce l-a reabilitat dupa moarte, desi in timpul vietii a fost exculs datorita scrierilor sale prea controversate.
"Diavolul":
Evgheny e un tanar ce a mostenit o mosie plina de datorii, dupa moartea tatalui. Isi propune sa rascumpere datoriile pastrand mosia intreaga, fara sa o vanda si pentru asta se muta de la St. Petersburg, inapoi la tara sa gestioneze mosia. Fiind un burlac de 26 de ani, ii lipsesc intrevederile amoroase cu femei libertine ce le avea la oras. Pentru a-si pastra sanatatea si concentrarea, nu din alte motive deci, ci doar "necesare", aranjeaza intalniri cu o taranca atragatoare din sat, al carei sot era plecat la oras la lucru. Cateva luni Evgheny isi mentine "sanatatea" in acest mod, iar apoi se casatoreste si renunta la amanta. Sotia lui e minunata si ajung sa aiba si o fetita impreuna, reuseste si cu mosia sa rezolve problemele financiare. Dar in loc de happy end, pe Evgheny il apuca obsesiile dupa amanta si zbuciumul lui interior din cauza dorintei strict fizice fata de femeia din sat il chinuie groaznic si e superb scris de Tolstoy, despre care se banuieste ca a trait ceva similar fata de o slujnica din casa lui. Ca orice dependent de un viciu, Evgheny are impresia intial ca poate oricand si usor sa renunte la amanta ("diavolul" ce de fapt a pus stapanire pe el). Spre final, solutia ce o gaseste este neasteptata si e evident ca Evgheny e doar un "traitor" condus de propriul egoism.
March 25, 2025
I read this for a class. I'm not normally a short story guy, but I was stunned by the Death of Ivan Ilyich. I genuinely have nothing to critique in this. The first half made me deeply uncomfortable because you see how fruitless and purposeless Ivan Ilyich's life has been, in addition to how clueless he was to this fact, but his conversation with God in the middle of the story really flips that. This is an amazing story about learning to accept mortality and understanding what it means to live a good life. Ivan Ilyich can't understand at first that living "properly" (pursuing a jealousy-inducing life according to contemporary social standards, like getting promotions, marrying, and having children) isn't the same as living right. Eventually he comes to understand that the Right life comes by caring for and reducing the suffering of others; the Right life is a selfless one.
January 12, 2018
The dark, sad story of a poorly lived life. Ivan Ilyich checked all the milestones as he progress through life, living it with the goal of doing what was right and expected but with less and less joy culminating in his untimely death gripped with loneliness and regret.
One of the themes that really resonated with me was the avoidance ( or lie as Ivan Illyich puts it) of dealing with death and our mortality honest and with compassion.
Not a easy or happy read but a truly great one.
One of the themes that really resonated with me was the avoidance ( or lie as Ivan Illyich puts it) of dealing with death and our mortality honest and with compassion.
Not a easy or happy read but a truly great one.
May 16, 2021
All I will say is I’m glad I read this at a comfortable distance from old age. Presented in this edition with ‘The Devil’, these stories are excruciating accounts of personal, existential anxiety.
May 12, 2025
3.5 really. Maybe just a bit unrelatable. Really makes you think about peoples inner thoughts
December 20, 2021
Given my reading of this book and the proximity to the end of a university semester, I only had the energy and desire to read The Death of Ivan Ilych. And believe me, it's more than enough. I'm incredibly troubled by how good Tolstoy expressed the fears of death and the expectation of the living that they will never die.
February 20, 2017
É um dos livros que mais gostei de ler até agora. Fala da vida e da morte de uma forma crua, mostrando a sua inevitabilidade. A fugacidade da vida, dos momentos que passam enquanto achamos que ainda temos muito tempo e a dificuldade na aceitação de algo inevitável, a morte. Gostei particularmente da lucidez da personagem, nos seus momentos finais, e da forma despreocupada e quase desinteressada como são descritas as outras personagens e a sua reação perante a morte. Fez-me pensar que realmente nascemos sozinhos e partimos sozinhos, vendo a morte como algo, acima de tudo, solitário. Gostei muito.
O Diabo conta uma história de luxuria e tentação, bem como a luta pelo comportamento moralmente e socialmente aceitável. A personagem principal passa toda a história a viver a dualidade entre o desejo pela camponesa com quem tinha encontros enquanto solteiro e a responsabilidade moral para consigo e sua esposa, numa culpa que só termina com o final do livro também. Não contarei o final, mas admito que gostei e achei mesmo típico de Tolstoi. Fez-me pensar, em certos pontos, no livro Anna Karenina, também do mesmo autor. Também gostei!
Em suma, este livro mostra-nos que não é necessário um livro gigante com milhares de páginas para termos uma leitura que prende e que intriga. Recomendo!
O Diabo conta uma história de luxuria e tentação, bem como a luta pelo comportamento moralmente e socialmente aceitável. A personagem principal passa toda a história a viver a dualidade entre o desejo pela camponesa com quem tinha encontros enquanto solteiro e a responsabilidade moral para consigo e sua esposa, numa culpa que só termina com o final do livro também. Não contarei o final, mas admito que gostei e achei mesmo típico de Tolstoi. Fez-me pensar, em certos pontos, no livro Anna Karenina, também do mesmo autor. Também gostei!
Em suma, este livro mostra-nos que não é necessário um livro gigante com milhares de páginas para termos uma leitura que prende e que intriga. Recomendo!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews