Dem bin applaud Baek Se-hee 2018 memoir sake of how honest e show mental health conversations
Baek Se-hee, wey be di South Korean writer of bestselling memoir I Want to Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki don die at di age of 35.
Her 2018 book, na a compilation of conversations wit her psychiatrist about her depression, wey be cultural phenomenon wit di themes of mental health wey readers across di world fit relate wit.
Dem write di book originally for Korean language, but di book go international afta dem publish di English translation for 2022.
Di details wey surround her death neva dey clear.
Baek bin donate her organs – her heart, lungs, liver and kidneys – wey bin don help to save five lives, di Korean Organ Donation Agency tok for statement on Friday.
Di statement bin also include comments from her sister, wey say Baek bin wan to “share her heart wit odas through her work, and to inspire hope”.
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, wey dem bin publish for 2018, bin sell more dan a million copies worldwide and dem translate am for 25 countries.
Dem bin celebrate di runaway bestseller sake of say she make conversations around mental health normal and how e dey affect inner struggles – di most of dem na di writer personal conflict between depressive thoughts and her appreciation for simple joys.
“Di human heart, even wen e wan die, many times want to eat tteobokki di same time too,” na di most popular line for di book.
Who be Baek Se-hee
Dem born her for 1990, Baek Se-hee do creative writing for university and she bin work for five years for one publishing house, according to her short biography on Bloomsbury Publishing, wey bin produce di English version of her 2018 memoir.
Anton Hur, wey bin translate Baek book into English, bin write for Instagram say her organs don save five pipo but “her readers go know say she touch yet millions of lives more wit her writing”.
“My thoughts dey wit her family,” im write.
For ten years, she bin receive treatment for dysthymia, one mild but long-lasting type of depression, wey bin form di background of her bestseller, na wetin her Bloomsbury bio tok.
Dem bin publish di sequel, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, for Korean language for 2019. Dem bin also publish di English translation for 2024.
Tributes dey pour for social media. “Rest softly,” one of di comment on Instagram tok. “Thank you as you save us wit your honesty.”
Another Instagram user bin say anytime dem read Baek memoir, dem dey get “deep comfort from every sentence and dem bim dey grow wit am”.
“To create any single book wey fit lift pipo up… no be easy task, and I get respect for you wey I no fit describe for you to achieve,” dem write.
