Authentically Russian. Depressingly bleak, a touch of divinity and more than a little strange.

'The Death Of Ivan Ilyich' by Leo Tolstoy is a collection of 11 novellas, which contain Russian everything (characters, landscape, traditions, culture, etc.,). There is no connecting theme in the stories but they do contain some commonalities. They're told from an outside narrator, have men as the principal characters, contain multiple references to Russian words or Arabic influences and are about everyday interactions.

I summarised the book as follows. "These are probably the easiest way to introduce yourself to Tolstoy's 'realistic fiction' without having to commit to an 800+ page book like Anna Karenina or War & Peace. I've never been to Russia but this conforms to most of what I have heard elsewhere about their traditions and culture. There is a strong emphasis on the bleakness and suffering in life, but hey, that's just how Russians roll."

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Intro
(0:38) - Synopsis
(3:28) - Anguish: Extreme unhappiness due to mental/physical suffering
(8:22) - Rumination: The Russian version of introspection
(12:19) - Personal Observations/Takeaways
(13:33) - Summary


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