Tolstoy: The Death of Ivan Ilyich

In this first episode of a new series, Stephen Blackwood reads Leo Tolstoys classic novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. A masterful text from one of historys great writers, it tells the story of a man whose fatal illness forces him to confront the shallow assumptions of his life and the slowly encroaching, inevitable reality of death. Ivan Ilyich is a timeless meditation on the fundamental content of life: finding purpose, loving others, and understanding our finitude. The translation Stephen is reading fromeasily found online, if you d like to follow alongis by Louise and Aylmer Maude. Links of possible interest: The Death of Ivan Ilyich and elsewhere Ralston College Ralston College Short Courses Stephen Blackwood