Tolstoy begins The Death of Ivan Ilyich with the protagonist's death and moves backward from there. The novel opens with Peter Ivanovich reading about the death of his fellow judge and friend Ivan Ilyich, who has just died at the age of forty-five. Peter is with a group of legal representatives during a break in a trial as he glances through the obituaries. With the news of their colleague's death, each man thinks about how Ivan's passing might benefit them. None of them are looking forward to visiting the family to pay their respects. It is just a social obligation. This annotated edition includes a biography and critical essay.