Author of ‘I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki’ dies at 35

Baek Se-hee, South Korean writer whose outspokenness History i want to die but i want to eat tteokbokki helped bring conversation Depression and mainstream medicine, has died at the age of 35.

His death was confirmed Friday by the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, which said in a statement that he had donated his heart, lungs, liver and both kidneys to National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital in Gyeonggi province, north of the capital Seoul, saving the lives of five people.

The cause and exact date of death have not been made public.

“We are deeply grateful for the warm love shown by donor Baek Se-hee and her family in practicing the gift of life,” Lee Sam Yeol, director of the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, said in the statement. “The love that Beck shared at the end of his life – providing comfort and hope through his heartfelt writing – has become a miracle that gives life to others.”

Baek’s younger sister Baek Da Hee said in a statement, “My sister, who I loved most, wanted to write, share her heart with others through her work, and instill hope. Knowing her gentle nature, incapable of holding hatred, I hope she can now rest in peace. I love you so much.” korea herald,

Born in 1990 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, the second of three daughters, Baek studied creative writing at university and later worked at a publishing company for five years.

During this time, he was diagnosed with a disease called dysthymia, which is a mild but persistent disease. DepressionAnd began exploring therapy, the material of which would form the basis of her 2018 debut HistoryAccording to his short biography on Bloomsbury Publishing, which released the English edition, Bach received treatment for dysthymia for nearly a decade.

Beck rose to prominence in 2018 with her debut memoir i want to die but i want to eat tteokbokkiA candid but tender account of her therapy sessions over a 12-week period.

The book was first self-published before being acquired by the literary imprint Munhakdongne, becoming a sensation. south korea and later became a global phenomenon following its English translation in 2022 by Anton Hur for Bloomsbury. It has since sold over 2 million copies and has been translated into over 25 languages.

In choosing his title, Beck aimed to capture the experience of a life torn between despair and the solidity of everyday life. “I was thinking about planning my death, but I got hungry and ate tteokbokki,” she said. The Straits Times In 2024, the paradox of craving something as simple as a street food snack despite wanting to die is depicted.

i want to die but i want to eat tteokbokki It became a viral sensation throughout Asia and received international attention, with many describing it as a rare and accessible sight. Healing and Self-Acceptance,

In a 2020 interview with K-Book Trends, Baek said she wrote the memoir to show her pain to others. “I hope that people who feel like this will find relief in knowing that they are not alone, and that people unlike me will at least realize that such people exist,” she said.

The book’s transcript-like style, half of it devoted to medical dialogue and the other half internal reflection, offers readers a quiet, looping rhythm, at times almost unbearably intimate. “I hope you will listen to a certain neglected and isolated voice within you. Because the human heart, even when it wants to die, often wants to eat some tteokbokki at the same time,” reads a line from her book.

Baek was often described as part of a generation of South Korean and predominantly female writers who used confessional writing to explore anxiety, exhaustion, and self-doubt in a society obsessed with perfection. He avoided sensationalized suffering and instead explored its solidity and the feeling of being “functional but hollow”, as a line in his book put it.

In conversation with PEN Transmissions in 2023, he recalled how the idea first took shape on his blog, where he began publishing excerpts from his psychiatric consultations. “Someone left a comment saying that reading my words made them realize their own symptoms,” she said. “That was the first time I understood that writing about myself could help others.”

a sequel, I want to die but I still want to eat tteokbokkiPublished in Korean in 2019 and translated into English in 2024, it continues her exploration of “a life that goes on, even when the pain doesn’t disappear”.

When she visited Singapore for the Writers’ Festival in 2024, she said she was surprised by how audiences abroad connected with similar sentiments. “We’re a lot alike,” she said. “Everyone feels anxious. Everyone is trying to recover.”

Translator Anton Hur paid tribute on social media, writing, “His readers will know that he touched the lives of millions with his writings.”

“Her words meant so much to me, she wrote so honestly, like she was sitting next to you, quietly saying, ‘I get it,'” X, formerly a fan, wrote on Twitter.

“To the author who made me feel through your words, right from the beginning you were an absolute angel. I slowly come back to this book because you captured those feelings so perfectly and made me feel like I belong to you. We love you and I want you to rest in heaven, my beautiful savior,” wrote another.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK & ROI), email. jo@samaritans.orgor visit Samaria website to get details of your nearest branch.

If you live in the United States, and you or someone you know needs mental health support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country then you can go www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you.