Iván Ilyitch, and Other Stories

This novella expresses Tolstoy’s philosophical concerns with the nature of the good life—and the good death. Ivan Ilyich, a social-climbing bureaucrat, is forced to face the shallowness and artificiality of his way of living when he is confined to bed with a terminal illness. As he slowly succumbs to pain and death, Ilyich comes to understand the difference between true life—living sacrificially for others—and the self-centered “living death” that previously consumed his existence. This story provides invaluable insights into the development of Tolstoy’s religious philosophy, and offers a profound meditation on selflessness and purifying suffering. In addition to the title story, this book also contains “If You Neglect the Fire, You Don’t Put It Out,” “Where Love Is, There God Is Also” and several other tales.