Watch Tteokbokki author Baek Se-hee and translator Anton Hur’s first joint video interview
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Best-selling author Baek Se-hee, who is behind I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki, and her translator Anton Hur in their first joint interview.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
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SINGAPORE – South Korean author Baek Se-hee, who had an impression of Singapore as a glamorous country, did not think her two therapy memoirs about mild depression would become a bestseller here.
But, meeting her fans here for the first time in November, she says: “I realised that we’re quite similar.”
The author of I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki (2018) joins South Korean writer and translator Anton Hur – who translated Baek’s books – in their first joint video interview.
The exclusive 40-minute conversation hosted by The Straits Times took place on Nov 17, the first day the two literary icons met – as the duo had previously corresponded infrequently only online.
They were in town for the Singapore Writers Festival, in which South Korea was the country focus, and spoke at separate events.
Talking Therapy And Tteokbokki With Baek Se-hee And Anton Hur, moderated by this journalist, delves into topics such as the boom in mental health literature, dealing with literary fame and the author-translator relationship. And, of course, the duo share their favourite tteokbokki spots in Seoul, as well as therapeutic reads.
Baek’s book and its 2024 sequel, I Want To Die But I Still Want To Eat Tteokbokki, have spent over 100 weeks on the ST bestsellers list.
They are part of a wave of South Korean bestsellers that have made it onto Singaporeans’ reading lists.
The sequel was also translated by Hur, who co-translated K-pop boy band BTS’ memoir
Two Singapore-based readers will stand a chance to win a hardback copy of I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki and its sequel – signed by Baek and Hur.
Watch the video and go to ST’s Instagram account (@straits_times) on Dec 5, noon, to answer a question and stand a chance to win.
The video interview, conducted in English and Korean, was facilitated by Singapore-based interpreter April Kim, who also translated the subtitles into English.
On why the two Tteokbokki books have become bestsellers globally, Hur says the world has collectively undergone traumatic episodes in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic and other geopolitical tensions.
He adds: “Because of all these global traumas, perhaps people keep turning to healing literature and keep turning to mental health literature.”
He notes that Singapore and South Korea, both successful economies, have embraced Baek’s book, saying: “It’s very moving to see how, underneath all our perfection and all our success, we can still come together with these anxieties and worries we have in common.”
