The Death of Ivan Ilych and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy (2004. Barnes and Noble Classics. ISBN 978-1-5908-069-3)
The title of this classic collection by Russian fiction master, Leo Tolstoy, is a misnomer. The four selections in this volume are not short stories (generally 5,000-15,000 words in length) but rather, novellas: that weird fiction format that exists somewhere between the short story and the novel. Having said that, there is much to enjoy about the tales in this book, whatever label one pins upon them.
“Family Happiness”, the first novella in the collection, is Tolstoy’s attempt to explain the dynamics of marriage in 19th century Tsarist Russian from the first person viewpoint of a woman. The breadth of the plot is slender: a simple recounting of the girlhood, courtship, marriage, and childbearing years of the story’s female protagonist. Think a Russian version of Jane Austen, whom Tolstoy must have read as she passed away long before Leo was penning his yarns. A bit slow paced and character driven with a plot very reminiscent of the English woman’s most beloved works, “Family Happiness” paints a somewhat gloomy and depressing view of adult romantic relationships in the Victoria age.
The titular piece of the collection, “The Death of Ivan Ilych”, chronicles the life of lawyer Ilych as seen and retold by others who knew him. Ivan is diagnosed with an ailment in his mid-40s: either an appendix malady or a “dislocated kidney” (whatever that means). In this oft-studied tale (used by instructors in many MFA programs), the plot centers around Ivan’s scrambling attempt to find a doctor in 19th century Russia who can diagnose and cure his life-threatening ailment. In this scathing indictment of the state of medical knowledge and treatment of the times, we watch as poor Ivan is bled, poked, medicated, and finally abandoned by a stream of physicians who really have no clue what is ailing the man. There is little to respect or love about the protagonist in this story: and that’s just the point. Tolstoy sets us up to consider a man’s life, as it draws to a close, and the limits of faith. A well wrought tale and one worth pondering when the final page is turned. Very reminiscent of Dickens.
Tolstoy’s most experimental and radical prose may be found in “The Kreutzer Sonata”, a story of perceived (or actual) infidelity involving a young wife (who happens to play piano) and a concert violinist. The title for the piece is drawn from a Beethoven composition (Sonata No. 9 for piano and violin, Op. 47), a piece of music which follows the arc of romantic sexual encounters. This is my favorite piece in the collection: It’s a daring (and provocative) attempt (for its time) by the author to paint a portrait of how twisted the human mind can become when tortured by jealousy. Tolstoy’s portrayal of a man possessed by the thought of his wife’s unfaithfulness is spot on and compels me to see the contemporary cinematic version of this tale. (You can learn more about the film at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172063/ . I was so intrigued that one of my favorite “Law and Order” ladies, Elizabeth Rohm plays the lead, I had to order a copy from Amazon.ca)
“Hadji Murad” is perhaps, the most traditional, in terms of Tolstoy’s style, of all the pieces in this collection. The author combines a bit of history and geography (the story is set in Chechnya during the Tsarist period) with the plight of a compelling character: Chechen rebel, Hadji Murad. I had niavely believed that the Moslems inhabiting the Caucasus Mountains of Chechyna began their struggle for independence after Lenin’s rise to power. Not true: this tale points out that the Chechen drive for independence began under Tsarist Russia. In some ways, this story seems like a predecessor to War and Peace in that Tolstoy appears to be workshopping his ability to write battle scenes for a longer work. However, such is not the case: “Hadji Murad” was written long after Tolstoy’s classic novel and, in fact, was the last piece the author wrote before his death in 1904. Complex in both plot and character, this novella deserved to be a novel but remains an enjoyable read despite its shorter format.
Great fiction from a master storyteller.
4 and 1/2 stars out of 5.
(Rewritten due to a computer issue)
