The Death of Ivan Ilyich & Other Stories

WithanIntroductionandNotesbyDrT.C.B.CookCountLeoTolstoy(1828-1910)isbestknownforWarandPeaceandAnnaKarenina,commonlyregardedasamongstthegreatestnovelseverwritten.Healso,however,wrotemanymasterlyshortstories,andthisvolumecontainsfourofthelongestandbestindistinguishedtranslationsthathavestoodthetestoftime.Intheearlystory'FamilyHappiness',Tolstoyexplorescourtshipandmarriagefromthepointofviewofayoungwife.In'TheKreutzerSonata'hegivesusaterrifyingstudyofmaritalbreakdown,in'TheDevil'apowerfuldepictionofthepowerofsexualtemptation,and,inperhapsthefinestofall,'TheDeathofIvanIlyich',heportraysthelongagonyofamangraduallycomingtotermswithhisownmortality.