Deep Reads: The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

This month we will read Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, a short but searing masterpiece that asks the question: What does it mean to live a good life?

You can find a copy here: If you buy any of the versions after clicking on my link, I will get a few pennies to help support the cost of the meetup.

** Note, because of the Thangiving holiday, we will meet one week earlier than usual!

Tolstoy's novella tells the story of Ivan Ilyich, a successful judge in 19th-century Russia who has carefully built a life of comfort, social status, and respectability. When he falls gravely ill, Ivan is forced to confront not only the reality of death but also the emptiness of the values he has lived by. In his final days, he comes to see the truth that comfort, ambition, and appearances cannot substitute for love, authenticity, and compassion.
Though written in 1886, The Death of Ivan Ilyich feels startlingly modern. It speaks directly to our own age of career pressure, materialism, and distraction, where it is easy to mistake busyness for meaning. The book challenges us to consider how we spend our time, how we treat others, and how we prepare—consciously or unconsciously—for the end of life.
At just over 100 pages, Tolstoy’s novella is concise but profound, offering not only a moving portrait of mortality but also an invitation to live more fully.
On a personal note, as a "death doula" and having taught positive psychology and the pathways to a meaningful life for over a decade at NC State, I m particularly interested in what Ivan Ilyich has to teach us about living, dying, and finding what really matters?
(Thanks ChatGPT for help with this summary! haha)

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Note! Meetup recently doubled the cost of the meetup to about $352/year ($176 twice a year) Want to help support the group? A few of you generously offered. If you would like to contribute $5, $10, $20 or any amount, the easiest way is venmo: @JohnSeanDoyle or just reach out to me directly. Thanks for considering it!