The Death of Ivan Ilyich

"One of the one of the books I had in mind while I was writing this was uh death of Ivan Illich by Toltoy."

"to come close to being in the shoes of a patient with a terminal condition, Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is the required text."

"Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich. It's the best portrayal of sickness and suffering I have ever read — minutely observed, difficult and still true a century and a quarter later."