61 pages • 2 hours read
The Death of Ivan Ilyich
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886) is a fictional novella by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). The story raises questions about what is important in life through Tolstoy’s observation of social interaction and individual priorities.
Tolstoy was born into aristocracy and was popular at a time when Russia was under the autocratic rule of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor of the Romanov Dynasty. Tolstoy, whose best-known works are War and Peace (1867) and Anna Karenina (1877), is widely considered to be one of the most influential fiction authors the world over.
This summary is based on the 1967 edition of Perennial Library’s Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude.
Plot Summary
Ivan Ilyich Golovin (Ilyich is his patronymic—Russian middle names are based on the name of one’s father, and polite address uses the first and middle names) passes away on February 4, 1882. His former law colleagues quickly overcome their initial surprise at seeing his obituary in the newspaper, then move on to other general gossip before heading back to work. Peter Ivanovich, one of Ivan Ilyich’s more personal work acquaintances, attends the funeral service, where Ivan Ilyich’s widow Praskovya Fedorovna questions him about whether she might acquire a higher pension from her husband’s death.
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By Leo Tolstoy
