The Death of Ivan Ilyich

'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' is probably Tolstoy's greatest novella, because it encapsualtes his notion of what constitutes the better way to live. Ivan Ilycih, slowly dying, comes to realize that the material life he devoted himself to is meaningless when confronted by death. Poignant, sensitive and deeply moral, this is Tolstoy at his best. The cover painting is of Tolstoy ploughing his own fields.