The Death of Ivan Ilyich

By: Leo Tolstoy

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Hailed as one of the world’s masterpieces of psychological realism, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the story of a worldly careerist, a high-court judge who has never given the inevitability of his death so much as a passing thought. But one day death announces itself to him, and to his shocked surprise, he is brought face-to-face with his own mortality. How, Tolstoy asks, does an unreflective man confront his one and only moment of truth?

The first part of the story portrays Ivan Ilyich’s colleagues and family after he has died, as they discuss the effect of his death on their careers and fortunes. In the second part, Tolstoy reveals the life of the man whose death seems so trivial. The perfect bureaucrat, Ilyich treasured his orderly domestic and office routine. Diagnosed with an incurable illness, he at first denies the truth but is influenced by the simple acceptance of his servant boy, and he comes to embrace the boy’s belief that death is natural and not shameful. He comforts himself with happy memories of childhood and gradually realizes that he has ignored all his inner yearnings as he tried to do what was expected of him. Will Ilyich be able to come to terms with himself before his life ebbs away?

This short novel was the artistic culmination of a profound spiritual crisis in Tolstoy’s own life, a nine-year period following the publication of Anna Karenina, during which he wrote not a word of fiction. A thoroughly absorbing glimpse into the abyss of death, it is also a strong testament to the possibility of finding spiritual salvation.

Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Written more than a century ago, Tolstoy’s work still retains the power of a contemporary novel." ( Publishers Weekly)

The Contemplation of Life

Leo Tolstoy probes the questions of life and death in telling the tale of Ivan Ilyich. As Ivan lays on his deathbed, Leo retells his life and all of it's successes and failures. Ivan himself slips in and our of consciousness to add detail to the story, and to bring you into his own inner dialogue. in the end he would rather die than live with his nagging wife.
The story allows one to contemplate one's own life and what makes for a good life, or a miserable life.

Tolstoy: as amazing as ever

Had my doubts near the beginning, and wondered why people consider this one of the "greats". It seemed insightful, but commonplace. By the end, though, I was deeply moved. Mind you, the best part is the last few minutes, but only then do you realize that you NEEDED all the buildup of the rest of the narrative. Wow, incredible story.

Wow!

A penetrating, magnificent work filled with insight, compassion, and intelligence.. Prebble's performance is stunning. I can't recommend it enough.

The Best of Tolstoy Shorts Narration is superb,

Try 1984 to rival narration; Tolstoy's novella is his best. Poor Ivan, until the End...

Meaningful and moving

I listened to this story right after Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. Both are about illness and death, one is 37 hours long while the other is 2. Both pack a wallop. Masterfully written on subjects that are timely and imperishable. Tolstoy’s brevity is perhaps more amazing, since he “finishes” his great story so quickly yet leaves nothing out.

The performance here is pretty good, not great. I can imagine a more emotional reading that makes a listener feel more involved.

Wonderful book on a difficult topic

This book is one of my favorites. I think Tolstoy does well in illuminating a difficult and uncomfortable topic for many, that of death. In the novel you are taken through the life and death of Ivan Ilyich, and his perceptions about what is happening to him as he approaches death. It brings into focus a perspective of death that people do not always notice.

Someone Do the Research Before Reading Russ. Names

Would you consider the audio edition of The Death of Ivan Ilyich to be better than the print version?

Absolutely not.

What other book might you compare The Death of Ivan Ilyich to and why?

I don't think I've read anything like this.

What three words best describe Simon Prebble’s performance?

Pronunciation, resonance, warmth

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This is a very moving account of a man who only learns the meaning of life while lying at death's door.

Any additional comments?

I would encourage any actor who is reading a story with foreign names to enlist the help of a native speaker of that language to help him/her with the pronunciation of names. Mr. Prebble mispronounced every name in the the novella, which was a distraction.

must read

absolutely a literary masterpiece. Tolstoy deserves all his fame. Brilliant! Can’t wait to read more of him.

Tolstoy the master of describing thoughts and emotion

Tolstoy captures those odd thoughts and feelings that pass us by and that we (or at least myself) are unable to grasp. This work is another example of tolstoys ability to portray those dark corners of our human experience

Classic that carries contemporary urgency

Classic for a reason. The choice of a british narrator was a decision, though Simon does do a beautiful job of letting text speak for itself.