In the 1860s, he wrote his first great novel, War and Peace. In 1873, Tolstoy set to work on the second of his best known novels, Anna Karenina. One of his most successful short works was The Death of Iv�n Ilych.
Tolstoy�s wrote the novelette following his conversion to Christianity. The author contrasts life (in the practice of law and as the head of his family) to death (in the narrow sack of darkness and total solitude).
Faced with an interminable illness, Ivan Ilych reviews his past life, finding that he had lived the moral life of a loving father, a good provider, and an upright citizen. After much physical and mental suffering, towards the end of his agony, he hits upon a shocking question:
�What if my whole life has been wrong?�
The answer becomes a simple epiphany which reveals to him the truth. Once the light of understanding sets on him, he experiences an immediate release from his endless suffering. What really matters in this life is the truth, which he could only find in the throes of death.
Our version is presented in contemporary American English. Many translations and editions in the public domain are in British English�19th century English. The only liberty we have taken is the portraying of Iv�n Ilych�s thoughts �towards the end� in �indirect free speech.�
