Baek Sehee, the bestselling South Korean author "whose frank conversations about therapy and mental health helped her become a cultural phenomenon in her home country and beyond," died October 16, the New York Times reported. She was 35. Baek was best known for her memoir, I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, "a deeply personal account of her struggles with depression and anxiety. (Tteokbokki is a popular Korean dish of rice cakes in a spicy sauce.)."
 |
|
| Baek Sehee | |
Published in 2018, the book includes conversations that she had with her therapist, which she recorded, and essays that explored topics like sexism and self-doubt. I Want to Die "was embraced by a broad audience that was drawn to its frank discussion of mental health, especially in South Korea, where stigma and family shame around mental illness persist," the Times noted.
In a prologue, Baek wrote, "I realized that opening the dark part in my heart was a very natural thing, just like showing the bright part of it." The book was published in 25 countries and has sold more than a million copies worldwide. In 2019 she published a sequel, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, which explored her struggles with self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
Baek told PEN Transmissions in 2023 that the inspiration for the book came from someone who had commented on her blog, saying they were experiencing similar emotions, and felt relieved to know someone else was going through the same thing. "When they said it was like a light was shining into the darkness of their life, I was so surprised," she recalled. "All I'd done was be honest in public, but here was someone comforted by that."
Anton Hur, who translated Baek's book into English, posted on Bluesky: "The Korean organ donation authority reports that Sehee saved five lives through her donation of her heart, lungs, liver, and both kidneys.... But her readers will know she touched yet millions of lives more with her writing. My thoughts are with her family."
In a statement, her sister, Baek Dahee, said that Baek Sehee "loved writing, connecting with others through writing and nurturing hope in other people."