Books like The Death of Ivan Ilych
12 books with a reading profile close to The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy. Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
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1
Demian
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Emil Sinclair grows up in a conventional, pious household, struggling to reconcile the "world of light" represented by his family with the "world of darkness" he observes in the streets.
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2
Franny and Zooey
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Franny and Zooey consists of two connected narratives centered on the youngest members of the Glass family, a group of former child prodigies.
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3
A Hero of Our Time
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Set against the rugged landscape of the Caucasus Mountains, the novel follows Grigory Pechorin, a young Russian officer whose life is defined by boredom and emotional detachment.
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4
Il fu Mattia Pascal
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Mattia Pascal, a small-town librarian in Italy, is trapped in a miserable marriage and weighed down by his mother-in-law's temper.
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5
Steppenwolf
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Harry Haller is a middle-aged intellectual living in a rented room, paralyzed by a perceived duality between his refined human persona and a savage, solitary identity he calls the Steppenwolf.
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6
The Kreutzer Sonata
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Pozdnyshev, a Russian landowner traveling by train, recounts the events leading to his wife’s murder.
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7
The Setting Sun
by Osamu Dazai
Also deep and inward-looking · psychology, literary
Set in Japan immediately following World War II, this novel follows the decline of an aristocratic family as the traditional social order collapses.
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8
Hamlet
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Prince Hamlet returns to Elsinore, Denmark, for his father’s funeral, only to find his mother, Gertrude, married to his uncle, Claudius, who has seized the throne.
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9
Kokoro
by Natsume Sōseki, Edwin McClellan
Also deep and inward-looking · psychology, literary
The narrative centers on a university student in Tokyo who befriends an older, cynical intellectual he calls Sensei.
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10
Long Day’s Journey into Night
Also deep and inward-looking · psychology, literary
One August day in 1912, the Tyrone family gathers at their summer home in Connecticut.
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11
Notes from Underground
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
The narrative follows a retired civil servant residing in St.
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12
Crime and Punishment
Also deep and inward-looking · philosophy, psychology
Rodion Raskolnikov, a destitute former student living in a cramped St.
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