Baek Sehee, the South Korean author who wrote about her struggles with mental illness in a pair of bestselling books, has died at 35, the New York Times reports. No cause of death was given.
Baek published her first book, I Want To Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki, in 2018; the book was published in the U.S. in a translation by Anton Hur in 2022. The book contains short essays interspersed with discussions with her therapist, who treated her for depression and anxiety. A critic for Kirkus wrote, “At once personal and universal, this book is about finding a path to awareness, understanding, and wisdom.”
The book became an international bestseller, and last year Baek released I Want To Die but I Still Want To Eat Tteokbokki, which followed the same format as the earlier book. Both titles refer to a Korean comfort food consisting of stir-fried rice cakes with a spicy sauce.
In a 2020 interview with K-Book Trends, Baek said, “I wanted those that are feeling and living as I do to read the book and find relief that they are not alone.…I hoped those [like] me [would] not be embarrassed, hate, or ignore the dark and emotionally hard parts inside them. It may sound banal, but life is tough for everyone, and it is ultimately you that has to look after yourself in the end.”
On Instagram, translator Hur paid tribute to Baek, writing, “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.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
