Strange Life of Ivan Osokin

Strange Life of Ivan Osokin (Russian: Странная жизнь Ивана Осокина) is a 1915 novel by P. D. Ouspensky.^[1][2] It follows the unsuccessful struggle of Ivan Osokin to correct his mistakes when given a chance to relive his past.^[3] The novel serves as a narrative platform for Nietzsche's theory of eternal recurrence.^[4][5][6] The conclusion fully anticipates the Fourth Way philosophy, which typified Ouspensky's later works.^[7] In particular the final chapter's description of the shocking realization of the mechanical nature of existence, its consequences, and the possibility/responsibility of working in an esoteric school.

Strange Life of Ivan Osokin

A book cover of the 1st English edition, 1947
Author	Pytor Demianovich Ouspensky
Original title	Странная жизнь Ивана Осокина
Language	Russian
Publication date	1915
Publication place	Russian Empire
Published in English	1947
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	166 (hardback, first English edition)

Plot summary

When the protagonist realizes that he can recall having lived his life before, he decides to try to change it. But he discovers that, because human choices tend to be mechanical, changing the outcome of one's actions is extremely difficult. He realizes that without help breaking his mechanical behavior, he may be doomed to repeat the same mistakes forever.

Characters

• Ivan Osokin, the main character of the novel
• The Magician, a minor but important character who makes appearances at the beginning and the end of the novel. A possible reference to Ouspensky's teacher, George Gurdjieff.

Literary significance and reception

Harold Ramis, who directed Groundhog Day, found the meaning of Strange Life of Ivan Osokin similar to the existential dilemma of Groundhog Day. Both works imply that a sober acceptance of personal accountability is necessary in order to effect an increase in the degree of freedom of the individual. Ramis' opinion is printed in the Lindisfarne Books' 2004 edition of Strange Life of Ivan Osokin.^[8]

Publication history

WorldCat lists 12 editions of the novel.^[9]

• 1915, First Edition, Russia, publisher, Pub date ?? ??? 1915
• 1947, Limited Edition (356 copies), UK, Stourton Press, OCLC 504417679, Pub date ?? Oct 1947
• 1947, First Trade Edition, US, Holmes ISBN 0-571-09587-9, ISBN 978-0-571-09587-2, OCLC 2223435, Pub date ?? ??? 1947, Hardback
• 1948, First Edition, UK, Faber & Faber, ISBN 0-571-09587-9, Pub date ?? ??? 1948, Hardback
• 1947, Lindisfarne Books, US, ISBN 1-58420-005-7 Paperback

References

1. "Brief Reviews". The English Journal. 37 (4): 211–214. 1948. ISSN 0013-8274. JSTOR 807188.
2. "Books: Life as a Trap". Time. Time Archive. 17 November 1947. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
3. Burch, George Bosworth (1951). "The Philosophy of P. D. Ouspensky". The Review of Metaphysics. 5 (2): 247–268. ISSN 0034-6632. JSTOR 20123259.
4. Rosenthal, Bernice Glatzer (22 September 1994). Nietzsche and Soviet Culture: Ally and Adversary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-521-45281-6.
5. Bray, Alan (1997). Eadie, Peter McGregor (ed.). "Notes on Recurrence and the Laws of Manu". The Bridge. 12. London: The Study Society. P.D. Ouspensky commemorative edition
6. Ross, Bruce (3 February 2016). "The Eternal Return:Time and Timelessness in P.D. Ouspensky's Strange Life of Ivan Osokin". In Tymieniecka, Anna-Teresa; Trutty-Coohill, Patricia (eds.). The Cosmos and the Creative Imagination. Springer. p. 253. ISBN 978-3-319-21792-5.
7. Uspenskij, Petr D. (1980). In search of the miraculous: fragments of an unknown teaching (Nachdr. d. Ausg. von 1950 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 312. ISBN 9780710019103.
8. Stone, Christopher James. "Time and Eternity". Splice today. Baltimore. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
9. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2223435 ^{[bare URL]}

External links

• Strange Life of Ivan Osokin at Gurdjieff International Review.
• Synopsis Time online, November 17, 1947
• Strange Life of Ivan Osokin Excerpts at Google Books