A symbolic journey where he is ‘born again’, and only after which he can see clearly for the first time the mistakes of his life, a life ‘trivial and often nasty’, and the possibility of God’s forgiveness. With masterful ease, a warm tone, and conversational pacing, British actor Oliver Davies captures Ivan Ilyich’s preoccupation with interior decorating and debt and his avoidance of family weddings and home remedies. Tolstoy’s prose is majestic, his pace measured, his characters unflinchingly true to life, his message bleak. Death of Ivan Ilyitch, The by TOLSTOY, Leo. She conveys the emotions well, without being overly dramatic. But he was not comfortable as a wealthy landowner, who owned many serfs, whose poverty and ignorance played on his conscience. The brilliance of the story is how a normal bureaucrat, a judge in this case, has a small accident that winds up gradually taking … Understanding and compassion bring him release from pain and the incessant question ‘Why?’ that has troubled him since his illness took hold. The story dishes up powerful and poignant emotions that will resonate with its audience as the unfortunate Ilyich comes to terms with his impending demise. He was so interested in it all that he often did things himself, rearranging the furniture, or rehanging the curtains.’ (Chapter 3). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It is a powerful masterpiece of psychological exploration, and has influenced writers as diverse as Hemingway and Nabokov. He has also read the part of Diogenes Laertius from Ancient Greek Philosophy, An Introduction and Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich for Naxos AudioBooks. Only a master novelist like Tolstoy could have dealt with such a subject in such a provocative but tender way.Laurie Anne Walden's delivery is clear and excellent... her pacing, pitch and diction are measured and even. Written after Tolstoy's religious conversion, the novella is widely considered to be one of his masterpieces. Due to copyright, this title is not currently available in your region. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Listen Free to Death of Ivan Ilych: Literary Classics audiobook by Leo Tolstoy with a 30 Day Free Trial! The struggles, dilemmas and agonies Tolstoy went through during this period resulted in the minor masterpiece: The Death of Ivan Ilyich, in which he uncompromisingly draws on his own experiences and contemplations on the painful process of death. This obsession with the trivialities of life is shown to be literally responsible for his downfall, to be redeemed only at his last breath. This work’s prose and performance are so vivid, so human, and so listenable that there’s no doubt why Tolstoy stands as one of the giants of world literature. In his final illness he now sees his own worthlessness reflected in the lives and attitudes of those around him. The pernickety concern for the furnishings in his new home call to mind the snobbery of Mr.Pooter, the eponymous hero of The Diary of a Nobody. Until his illness, Ivan Ilyich had never reflected on his life. He wrote the autobiographical A Confession in 1882, in which he declared that he suffered from depression because he could find no meaning in life, and developed his thoughts further in tracts with titles like The Kingdom of God is within you. Great book and reader speaks clearly and at the right pace. One of the powerful images of approaching death Tolstoy employs in The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the feeling of being in a railway carriage ‘when one thinks one is going backwards while one is really going forwards and suddenly becomes aware of the real direction.’ Tolstoy met his own death in 1910 at the age of 82. ‘How good and how simple!’ he thought. ‘Sometimes he even had moments of absent-mindedness during the court sessions and would consider whether he should have straight or curved cornices for his curtains. This title is due for release on January 1, 2008. © Copyright 2011 - 2020 RB Audiobooks USA LLC. He wanted to face up to the inevitability of death and make some sense of it. You will be able to unsubscribe at any time. Davies’s skill with inflection, even within words, heightens the social satire of the early section and shifts with Ilyich’s slide into ever increasing pain and irritability. Est., Salfords, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 5GJ, UK.