The Death of Ivan Ilych
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- Create Date：2021-05-25 11:53:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Leo Tolstoy
- ISBN：0241251761
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Summary
'It is only a bruise'。 A carefree Russian official has what seems to be a trivial accident。。。This is one of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series， to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946。 Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity， with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables， decadence， heartbreak， tall tales， satire， ghosts， battles and elephants。
Reviews
Rebecca Long Okura
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Masterpiece on dying。 This isn’t just a story。 It’s a meditation on all of the emotions and thoughts surrounding death and dying。 Tolstoy exposes our human frailty in ways that we don’t always acknowledge。 Wonderful。
Thomas
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Beautiful essential read
Mariah Dawn
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What a year to read this book！ I immediately thought of how many people caught off guard， laying in hospital beds， unable to breathe， were going through these very thoughts。A miserable little man with a nagging little wife， convincing himself he’s not miserable， manipulating his life by avoiding the difficult things until he becomes ill。 A love/hate relationship with “it” has him fairly losing his mind until he finds peace in the light on the last page。 I also thought this book was a great illus What a year to read this book！ I immediately thought of how many people caught off guard， laying in hospital beds， unable to breathe， were going through these very thoughts。A miserable little man with a nagging little wife， convincing himself he’s not miserable， manipulating his life by avoiding the difficult things until he becomes ill。 A love/hate relationship with “it” has him fairly losing his mind until he finds peace in the light on the last page。 I also thought this book was a great illustration of Proverbs 21:9 :: “Better to live in the corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife。” Praskovya Fyodorovna would make an interesting study for a young woman before she gets married。 👀Looking forward to listening to the Literary Life podcast about this book this week。 。。。more
Kateryna Krotova
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This is a story about Ivan Ilyich Golovin， a high-court judge in Russia， end of 19th century。 He is respected man with respectable family， job and home。Tolstoy describes Ivan Ilyich failing health after a small incident。 Interesting， that he know that he is dying， but he doesn’t want to believe in it。 And almost everyone around him support this lie， that he will get better。His wife is a character I would say。。 After his death she is counting how much government will pay to her and how she can ge This is a story about Ivan Ilyich Golovin， a high-court judge in Russia， end of 19th century。 He is respected man with respectable family， job and home。Tolstoy describes Ivan Ilyich failing health after a small incident。 Interesting， that he know that he is dying， but he doesn’t want to believe in it。 And almost everyone around him support this lie， that he will get better。His wife is a character I would say。。 After his death she is counting how much government will pay to her and how she can get more money。。 She goes to theater all dressed up， with her daughter and her daughter’s fiancé。。 neglecting her husband。 He starts to hate his wife， his daughter。。 And he struggles with existence， asking God: “Why me？ Why this happened to me？”Really sad， but realistic story。 。。。more
Rocco Febbo
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Harrowing story of an otherwise unremarkable man coming to terms with his own death。 Interesting contrast between his own internal turmoil and the relative nonchalance of those around him， and the self-interest of his colleagues on hearing about his death。 Probably worth another read at some point - didn’t really feel that his ultimate death was overly moving。
Meghan Pfeiffer
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"Caius is a man， men are mortal， therefore Caius is mortal - had seemed to him all his life correct only as applied to Caius， but by no means to himself。。。 Caius really was mortal， and it was only right that he should die， but for him， Ivan Ilyich， with all his thoughts and feelings， it was something else again。 And it was simply not possible that he should have to die。 That would be too terrible。"The Death of Ivan Ilych manages to deal with chronic pain， death， and the meaning of a life well-li "Caius is a man， men are mortal， therefore Caius is mortal - had seemed to him all his life correct only as applied to Caius， but by no means to himself。。。 Caius really was mortal， and it was only right that he should die， but for him， Ivan Ilyich， with all his thoughts and feelings， it was something else again。 And it was simply not possible that he should have to die。 That would be too terrible。"The Death of Ivan Ilych manages to deal with chronic pain， death， and the meaning of a life well-lived in only 86 pages。 Amazing novel that should be much more well known。 。。。more
Joshua
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"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting， for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart。" - Ecclesiastes 7:2 "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting， for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart。" - Ecclesiastes 7:2 。。。more
Dalia Ismail
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The Death of Ivan Ilyich - a brief yet multi-sided story of the life and death of a middle-class Russian bureaucrat。 The novella starts with the fresh news that Ivan Ilyich has died and ends with a close-up scene of his death from his own point of view。 Clearly， the title lays out what the subject matter is， but it's as much about death as it is about its reception by Ivan's friends and family， their unsympathetic denial and selfishness， and Ivan's own reflections on his life and moral anguish。 The Death of Ivan Ilyich - a brief yet multi-sided story of the life and death of a middle-class Russian bureaucrat。 The novella starts with the fresh news that Ivan Ilyich has died and ends with a close-up scene of his death from his own point of view。 Clearly， the title lays out what the subject matter is， but it's as much about death as it is about its reception by Ivan's friends and family， their unsympathetic denial and selfishness， and Ivan's own reflections on his life and moral anguish。 "'Maybe I did not live as I should have？' would suddenly come into his head。 'But how not， if I did everything one ought to？'" Written 135 years ago， Tolstoy's dark novella poses meme-material questions that today we confront squarely。 In our postmodern world， we question what constitutes a good life beyond the glam and money。 At least， I lie to think we do so withmore soberness than ever before， what with backing good causes and being active participants in movements that fight for a better world and a kinder humanity。 So we do come across some memes that openly discuss mental health issues or mid life crises and such like。 Questions about life and good living are subjects of both light and dark discussions on social media。Back to the novella。 Ivan had no one to text or write to or any woke philosophy post to read in the late 19th century。 Ivan lived a very normal life。 He was a smart law student; an ambitious young bureaucrat making his way up the social ladder; a status-anxious man who has no original taste or opinion of his own but mimics what 'highly placed people'; and a power-conscious prosecutor who enjoys his post's authority。 You could say he is normal， more or less。 But you can see that his workaholism speaks volumes about his distaste for domestic life with his wife and children （the mention of the death of some early births is remorseless and succinct）。 His sense of power and self-confidence are his way of feeling in control of a life lived without a moment of introspection。 When he falls ill and the pain becomes intolerably unavoidable， he slowly realizes that the posh draperies， famous-people parties， theater evenings， and other social niceties that 'highly placed people' approve of - they'd consumed his life。 Without them， and without his all-consuming job， he could faintly head his own thoughts。 I rather like that there comes a point in the novella wherein we can finally *read* his thoughts。 All the while we're reading his life story and his general 'easy and pleasant' attitude towards any event。 But then this illness is a tiresome hurdle along the path he'd drawn for himself。 The pain， whatever its real cause， is demanding his attention， and he finally listens。 He begins questioning whether it's just an illness that will go away or if it really is *it*。 He doesn't want to see *it* at all so distractions are welcome。 But， after a while， he transcends the doctors' emotionless decrees and his wife's incessant complaints and succumbs to becoming an extremely lonely human being。 Alone with himself， with no distractions。 The reader will notice that there is a turning point after Ivan faces up a mirror to see how he has changed， to see lifeless eyes， sunken cheeks， and an emaciated frame。 His reaction is that of general rage and disdain for everything。 He hates everyone around him for not confronting Death with him - for not trying to comfort him， perhaps， or continuing their lives just as normal。 Spending more and more time alone， Ivan starts having internal monologues that resemble the Court sessions he's used to。 He still doesn't want to admit that "it was all happening because he had not lived right"。 Everyone is oblivious to the inner torment Ivan is going through。 His wife wants a steady salary so she doesn't wish for his death but dislikes his constant moans and ill-temper。 His daughter， as he likes to think， finds her father's illness inconvenient。 His friends look at him as a soon-to-be-available post and secretly feel relieved it's him who's dying and not them。 Only his young son and assistant butler seem to sympathize。Although "rage， rage against that dying of the light" is all that Ivan does （Dylan Thomas would totally understand）， Ivan dies surprisingly gently。 His moment of death is relieving。 "What joy！" he says。 That's the last thing *he* knows and feels。 But， as his friend Pyotr retells toward the beginning of the novella， his wife was thinking about pension and her own suffering while her husband was nearing his end。 "Ah！ what I've endured！" Pyotr himself thinks about his own mortality but shuns the idea away。 To me， this is the interesting part of the novella that Tolstoy makes readers highly aware of: the different receptions of Death and the effect it leaves in each one's soul。Can't think of more at the moment。 But if this novella is assigned as a reading for literature class in high school， it would spark pretty interesting discussions。 。。。more
Federico Escobar Sierra
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Tal vez frente a la muerte es donde más desnudo se encuentra el hombre， fue ahí， en una agonía lenta y dolorosa donde Iván Ilich se miró para entender que muchos años atrás había comenzado a morir mientras buscaba agradar， brillar， fue ahí donde entendió que el en su ultima expiración se despedía de una muerte a la que le había dedicado muchos años de vida。Una novela corta， de fácil lectura y difícil digestión。 Una hermosa edición de Nórdica。Buena， pero me quedo con el Tolstoi de otras novelas。
Jessica Shu
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Pevear & Volokhonsky translation
Chris Loveless
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Short story of a man confronting death。 Fairly well written。 Interesting perspective to confront death and reflect on life。
Pınar Aydoğdu
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Herkes ölümü kendinden uzak zanneder。 İşte， Tolstoy insanın bu boş inancının peşinden giderek， iktidarın， paranın， gücün insanın gözünü nasıl kör ettiğini çok güzel işliyor。
Gonzalo
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Una de les grans reflexions sobre la mort que mai s'han escrit。 La mort， el moment més dolorós i important de tot ésser humà després d'eixa mentida， que cridem vida， en la que fingim que mai anem a morir。 Una de les grans reflexions sobre la mort que mai s'han escrit。 La mort， el moment més dolorós i important de tot ésser humà després d'eixa mentida， que cridem vida， en la que fingim que mai anem a morir。 。。。more
Mahmoud Eskandari
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ما باید هر لحظه در دادگاه خودزندگی و مسیر خود را مورد قضاوت قرار دهیمپیش از آنکه مرگ آرام آرام بر بستر ما ظاهر شود
Hadis
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کتاب روایت خطی داره، کم حجمه （صد صفحه） و قصه هم سرراسته。 مواجهه با مرگ؛ رویدادی عادی اما همیشه تازه。 چیزی که این حس رو هم به خواننده میده که انگار در جلد شخصیت اصلي رفته و داره پا به پای اون تموم شدن زندگیش، تحلیل رفتارهای اطرافیان و فکر مداوم به روزهای گذشته زندگی رو میبینه。 آیا واقعا اونطور که سزاوار بود زندگی کردم؟
Erica Lin
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My favourite quotes from this book:“‘Three days of frightful suffering and the death！ Why， that might suddenly， at any time， happen to me，’ he thought， and for a moment felt terrified。 But — he did not himself know how — the customary reflection at once occurred to him that this had happened to Ivan Ilych and not to him， and that it should not and could not happen to him， and that to think that it could would be yielding to depressing which he ought not to do， as Schwartz’s expression plainly sh My favourite quotes from this book:“‘Three days of frightful suffering and the death！ Why， that might suddenly， at any time， happen to me，’ he thought， and for a moment felt terrified。 But — he did not himself know how — the customary reflection at once occurred to him that this had happened to Ivan Ilych and not to him， and that it should not and could not happen to him， and that to think that it could would be yielding to depressing which he ought not to do， as Schwartz’s expression plainly showed。 After which reflection Peter Ivanovich felt reassured， and began to ask with interest about the details of Ivan Ilych’s death， as though death was an accident natural to Ivan Ilych but certainly not to himself。”“Neither as a boy nor as a man was he a toady， but from early youth was by nature attracted to people of high station as a fly is drawn to the light， assimilating their ways and views of life and establishing friendly relations with them。 All the enthusiasms of childhood and youth passed without leaving much trace on him; he succumbed to sensuality， to vanity， and latterly among the highest classes to liberalism， but always within limits which his instinct unfailingly indicated to him as correct。”“At school he had done things which had formerly seemed to him very horrid and made him feel disgusted with himself when he did them; but when later on he saw that such actions were done by people of good position and that they did not regard them as wrong， he was able not exactly to regard them as right， but to forget about them entirely or not be at all troubled at remembering them。”“But now， as an examining magistrate， Ivan Ilych felt that everyone without exception， even the most important and self-satisfied， was in his power， and that he need only write a few words on a sheet of paper with a certain heading， and this or that important， self-satisfied person would be brought before him in the role of an accused person or a witness， and if he did not choose to allow him to sit down， would have to stand before him and answer his questions。 Ivan Ilych never abused his power; he tried on the contrary to soften its expression， but the consciousness of it and the possibility of softening its effect， supplied the chief interest and attraction of his office。”“Very soon， within a year of his wedding， Ivan Ilych had realized that marriage， though it may add some comforts to life， is in fact a very intricate and difficult affair towards which in order to perform one’s duty， that is， to lead a decorous life approved of by society。”“These were islets at which they anchored for a while and then again set out upon that ocean of veiled hostility which showed itself in their aloofness from one another。”“In all this the thing was to exclude everything fresh and vital， which always disturbs the regular course of official business， and to admit only official relations with people， and then only on official grounds。 A man would come， for instance， wanting some information。 Ivan Ilych， as one in whose sphere the matter did not lie， would have nothing to do with him: but if the man had some business with him in his official capacity， something that could be expressed on officially stamped paper， he would do everything， positively everything he could within the limits of such relations， and in doing so would maintain the semblance of friendly human relations， that is， would observe the courtesies of life。”“And this conclusion struck him painfully， arousing in him a great feeling of pity for himself and of bitterness towards the doctor’s indifference to a matter of such importance。”“Those about him did not understand or would not understand it， but thought everything in the world was going on as usual。 That tormented Ivan Ilych more than anything。”“They all saw that he was suffering， and said: ‘We can stop if you are tired。 Take a rest。’ Lie down？ No， he was not at all tired， and he finished the rubber。 All were gloomy and silent。 Ivan Ilych felt that he had diffused this gloom over them and could not dispel it。 They had supper and went away， and Ivan Ilych was left alone with the consciousness that his life was poisoned and was poisoning the lives of others， and that this poison did not weaken but penetrated more and more deeply into his whole being。”“He would go to his study， lie down， and again be alone with It: face to face with It。 And nothing could be done with It except to look at it and shudder。”“Once when Ivan Ilych was sending [Gerasim] away he even said straight out: ‘We shall all of us die， so why should I grudge a little trouble？’ — expressing the fact that he did not think his work burdensome， because he was doing it for a dying man and hoped someone would do the same for him when his time came。”“‘What do you want？ What do you want？’ he repeated to himself。‘What do I want？ To live and not to suffer，’ he answered。”“Why， and for what purpose， is there all this horror？ But however much he pondered he found no answer。 And whenever the thought occurred to him， as it often did， that it all resulted from his not having lived as he ought to have done， he at once recalled the correctness of his whole life and dismissed so strange an idea。”“He only waited till Gerasim had gone into the next room and then restrained himself no longer but wept like a child。 He wept on account of his helplessness， his terrible loneliness， the cruelty of man， the cruelty of God， and the absence of God。”“And in imagination he began to recall the best moments of his pleasant life。 But strange to say none of those best moments of his pleasant life now seemed at all what they had then seemed — none of them except the first recollections of childhood。 There， in childhood， there had been something really pleasant with which it would be possible to live if it could return。 But the child who had experienced that happiness existed no longer， it was like a reminiscence of somebody else。”“‘What is this？ Can it be that it is Death？’ And the inner voice answered: ‘Yes， it is Death。’‘Why these sufferings？’ And the voice answered， ‘For no reason — they just are so。’”“It occurred to him that what had appeared perfectly impossible before， namely that he had not spent his life as he should have done， might after all be true。 It occurred to him that his scarcely perceptible attempts to struggle against what was considered good by the most highly placed people， those scarcely noticeable impulses which he had immediately suppressed， might have been the real thing， and all the rest false。 And his professional duties and the whole arrangement of his life and of his family， and all his social and official interests， might all have been false。 He tried to defend all those things to himself and suddenly felt the weakness of what he was defending。 There was nothing to defend。”“At that very moment Ivan Ilych fell through and caught sight of the light， and it was revealed to him that though his life had not been what it should have been， this could still be rectified。 He asked himself， ‘What is the right thing？’ and grew still， listening。 Then he felt that someone was kissing his hand。 He opened his eyes， looked at his son， and felt sorry for him。 His wife camp up to him and he glanced at her。 She was gazing at him open-mouthed， with undried tears on her nose and cheek and a despairing look on her face。 He felt sorry for her too。‘Yes， I am making them wretched，’ he thought。 ‘They are sorry， but it will be better for them when I die。’ He wished to say this but had not the strength to utter it。 ‘Besides， why speak？ I must act，’ he thought。 With a look at his wife he indicated his son and said: ‘Take him away。。。 sorry for him。。。 sorry for you too 。。。’ He tried to add， ‘Forgive me，’ but said ‘Forego’ and waved his hand， knowing that He whose understanding mattered would understand。”“And suddenly it grew clear to him that what had been oppressing him and would not leave his was all dropping away at once from two sides， from ten sides， and from all sides。 He was sorry for them， he must act so as not to hurt them: release them and free himself from these sufferings。 ‘How good and how simple！’ he thought。 ‘And the pain？’ he asked himself。 ‘What has become of it？ Where are you， pain？’He turned his attention to it。‘Yes， here it is。 Well， what of it？ Let the pain be。’‘And death。。。 where is it？’He sought his former accustomed fear of death and did not find it。 ‘Where is it？ What death？’ There was no fear because there was no death。In place of death there was light。” 。。。more
S Ravishankar
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absorbing book。 brings to the fore how one's perspective on life changes when one is confronted with the possibility of imminent death。 also exemplifies how the closest relationships change。 how all those around live in the bubble of a lie of the dying man's recovery and how he is angry with this lie。 how he longs for the only care-giver who is honest with him about this。 The dying man longs for truth， pity for his pains。 he was annoyed that his family would not oblige him。 looking back on life absorbing book。 brings to the fore how one's perspective on life changes when one is confronted with the possibility of imminent death。 also exemplifies how the closest relationships change。 how all those around live in the bubble of a lie of the dying man's recovery and how he is angry with this lie。 how he longs for the only care-giver who is honest with him about this。 The dying man longs for truth， pity for his pains。 he was annoyed that his family would not oblige him。 looking back on life Ivan feels the moments of joy were mainly in his childhood。 he has fewer moments of joy in adulthood， as the innocence and honesty is replaced by deception， shemanship and deceit。 At the end the dead man feels he is the only one mourning in his own oncoming death。Ivan realises the futility of most things he thot was important; after a prolonged period of agony he dies in peace realising that he is moving to a more revealing realm。。。Tolstoy at his best。。。 3 hours on audio， possibly 100 pages。。。 。。。more
Anita Renaghan
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I will read this again。
keli williams
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What hindered him from getting into it was his claim that his life had been good。 That very justification of his life held him fast and prevented him from advancing， and caused him more agony than everything else。SO emotional， wow。 Leo Tolstoy’s writing is unbelievable！ Every feeling and thought poor Ivan Ilyich went through had me absolutely heartbroken。 I’m kinda scared but even more excited to see if War and Peace and Anna Karenina can have me sobbing even louder。
Renato Venturini
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Muito bom， clarone direto。。。
Amanda
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Another Russian novel interested in death。 I didn't enjoy this one as well as One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch， but I heard it was required by some in hospice care， so found that interesting。 It was neat how it ended very like Jesus's death- it is finished。I got so much more out of it after listening to The Literary Life podcast from April 20 & 27， 2021 afterwards。 Tolstoy's life story influenced his writing and there was much more that I hadn't put together that they brought to light for Another Russian novel interested in death。 I didn't enjoy this one as well as One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch， but I heard it was required by some in hospice care， so found that interesting。 It was neat how it ended very like Jesus's death- it is finished。I got so much more out of it after listening to The Literary Life podcast from April 20 & 27， 2021 afterwards。 Tolstoy's life story influenced his writing and there was much more that I hadn't put together that they brought to light for me。 。。。more
Fabashir Sadat
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At the end of the day， the only thing that makes me wanna kill myself is that i am terrified of death & oblivion。
Ryan Smith
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Read this。 But only if you have the guts to reflect on the fact life is leading you toward death and they it may be a slow decline into loneliness， torment， and regret。 （Did I persuade you to read it？ Ha。）
Kevin
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A beautifully meditative work。
Vahid
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غیر از معمار بزرگ بر تالستوی چه نامی میتوان نهاد。آنچه در مرگ ایوان ایلیچ بر ما معلوم میشود پیافکندن ساختمانی ساده و بیپیرایه اما دقیق، محکم و استوار است。این، کتاب فوقالعاده ای است، شاهکاری به تمام معنا، چرا که از دنیای ادبیات عبور میکند و اوج میگیرد و به قلههای معرفت میرسد خواننده هم از میان این کلمات برمیخیزد، نگاهی به خود و نگاهی به پشت سرش میاندازد و زندگی گذشته را از نظر میگذارند و شاید دیگر نگاهش به مرگ آن نگاه ناباورانه نباشد که مرگ را فقط برای دیگران بپندارد。داستان، از مرگ ای غیر از معمار بزرگ بر تالستوی چه نامی میتوان نهاد。آنچه در مرگ ایوان ایلیچ بر ما معلوم میشود پیافکندن ساختمانی ساده و بیپیرایه اما دقیق، محکم و استوار است。این، کتاب فوقالعاده ای است، شاهکاری به تمام معنا، چرا که از دنیای ادبیات عبور میکند و اوج میگیرد و به قلههای معرفت میرسد خواننده هم از میان این کلمات برمیخیزد، نگاهی به خود و نگاهی به پشت سرش میاندازد و زندگی گذشته را از نظر میگذارند و شاید دیگر نگاهش به مرگ آن نگاه ناباورانه نباشد که مرگ را فقط برای دیگران بپندارد。داستان، از مرگ ایوان آغاز و با مرگ او به پایان میرسد اما شگفت اینکه نگاهی که در ابتدا به مرگ او داریم با نگاهی که در پایان به مرگ او خواهیم داشت تفاوتی اساسی پیدا میکند！نگرش ما به موضوع، تغییری کلی پیدا میکند در حالیکه کل داستان به صد صفحه نمیرسد！تالستوی در این فرصت کوتاه کل زندگی و مرگ ایوان ایلیچ را به صورت فشرده و کامل در اختیار خواننده میگذارد تا به خود و فرجام کارش بیندیشد و ببیند که ایوان کسی جز خودش نیست با همان افکار و همان رویاها و آرزوها。حضرت علی （ع） در نهجالبلاغه خطاب به شخصی که پشت تابوت مرده میخندد با این مضمون میگوید: گویا اندیشیدهای که مرگ را جز برای تو نوشتهاند。。。اعمال و رفتار اغلب ما، هم با شخصیتهای این داستان، و هم در واقعیت وفق میدهد。داستان بسیار زیبایی بود در ضمن نقد کامل و جامعی در ادامه داشت واقعاً مفید و آموزنده، و در نهایت داستانک آخرین گل با نگارش و تصویری از جیمز تربر به زیبایی کتاب میافزود。 。。。more
Sherif Metwaly
，
لم أتخيل أن يكون اللقاء الأول لي مع هذا القلم الروسي البديع بهذا الجمال، جمال مرعب، قدرة فائقة على الغوص داخل أعمال نفسٍ بشرية تحتضر وتتألم في أيامها الأخيرة نجحت في بث الألم داخل ثنايا روحي。 لطالما كان الاحتضار هو أكبر مخاوفي خصوصًا كوني طبيب أرى الموت يقتنص المرضى أمامي شبه يوميًا كلٌ في ميقات معلوم، لكن الاحتضار والموت البطئ أصعب بمراحل، أتسائل دائمًا كيف يشعر المحتضر؟ وفيم يفكر؟، هل يعي كذبنا ونحن نحاول طمأنته لنخفف عنه رغم فقداننا لأي أمل في الشفاء اللهم إلا بمعجزة؟، هل يتألم لتألم أحبائه؟، لم أتخيل أن يكون اللقاء الأول لي مع هذا القلم الروسي البديع بهذا الجمال، جمال مرعب، قدرة فائقة على الغوص داخل أعمال نفسٍ بشرية تحتضر وتتألم في أيامها الأخيرة نجحت في بث الألم داخل ثنايا روحي。 لطالما كان الاحتضار هو أكبر مخاوفي خصوصًا كوني طبيب أرى الموت يقتنص المرضى أمامي شبه يوميًا كلٌ في ميقات معلوم، لكن الاحتضار والموت البطئ أصعب بمراحل، أتسائل دائمًا كيف يشعر المحتضر؟ وفيم يفكر؟، هل يعي كذبنا ونحن نحاول طمأنته لنخفف عنه رغم فقداننا لأي أمل في الشفاء اللهم إلا بمعجزة؟، هل يتألم لتألم أحبائه؟، هل يراجع حساباته ويطلب الرضا والسماح ممن حوله أم يصب غضبه وحنقه على الدنيا كلها؟، والأصعب والأمرّ هو إحساس الطبيب بالعجز أمام هكذا مريض يحتضر لا تستطيع أن تفعل له أكثر من تخفيف الألم ومساعدته في الغياب عن الوعي لساعات هربًا من جحيم الوجع في أيامه الأخير؛ كابوس يهرب منه كل طبيب، ومع ذلك، مهما هربنا، يظل حقيقة راسخة من حقائق الكون تأبى أن تفارقنا。أقول دائمًا أن كثرة التعرض للألم يعين المرء على تحمل آلام جديد بفضل نعمة الاعتياد، وأن هناك شعرة بين اعتياد الأمل الصحي اللازم لاستمرار الحياة وبين تبلّد المشاعر، ربما نجح تولستوي في مساعدتي على اعتياد هذا العجز والألم بهذه الرحلة القصيرة البديعة، لكنه تركني فريسة لسؤالٍ جديد سيطاردني لسنوات: تُرى كم سأتحمل من الألم ومن الفراق؟، وهل سأنجح في النجاة من فخ تبلد المشاعر مع كثرة ما أختبره من آلام؟ 。。。more
Victor Tolentino
，
Adorei a forma como ele vai se arrependendo de sua vida no final e se acha um incômodo pra todos， mas expressa isso de forma errada， até o último momento。Muito bom。
Kevin Shepherd
，
“Do not go gentle into that good night，Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage， rage against the dying of the light。” ~Dylan ThomasIvan Ilych is slipping away and he knows it。 His progression （regression？） into darkness is one of introspection and regret。 Interspersed amid the episodes of physical pain， brought about by injury and illness， are Ilych’s contemplations on the meaning of life。 Being led inside the head of a dying man isn’t my idea of a good time， but Tolstoy， being Tolsto “Do not go gentle into that good night，Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage， rage against the dying of the light。” ~Dylan ThomasIvan Ilych is slipping away and he knows it。 His progression （regression？） into darkness is one of introspection and regret。 Interspersed amid the episodes of physical pain， brought about by injury and illness， are Ilych’s contemplations on the meaning of life。 Being led inside the head of a dying man isn’t my idea of a good time， but Tolstoy， being Tolstoy， does it masterfully。 Let’s face it， we are all going to be there someday。 We know it’s coming。 Some of us （most of us？） deal with this inevitability by ignoring it。 We either pretend it isn’t there or we embrace the myth that if we do this or that we can somehow circumvent the unavoidable and plant our ass in an eternity of perpetual bliss。 Tolstoy’s Ilych isn’t above all that， but his situation forces him to examine not the ‘what’ but rather the ‘why’ of it all。 Tolstoy was a genius。 I read that some critics believe that this， ‘The Death of Ivan Ilych，’ is the best short fiction he ever wrote。 They will get no argument from me。 。。。more
Kawal
，
4。5。 The way Tolstoy wrote such a real character was honestly amazing to read。
Bill Nielsen
，
Death is serious and death is scary。 But， might there be peace？ Discuss。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Death of Ivan Ilych
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Death of Ivan Ilych&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft