Rider pre-empts retired Korean psychiatrist’s uplifting collection of life lessons 

Rider has pre-empted the Korean bestseller If I’m Going to Live to One Hundred, I Might As Well Be Happy, a “comforting, insightful, and surprisingly hilarious collection of life lessons” from retired psychiatrist and essayist Rhee Kun Hoo.

Commissioning editor Suzanne Connelly pre-empted world all-language rights excluding Korean and Thai from Sue Park at Barbara Zitwer Literary Agency. Rider will publish in hardback in May 2024.

Since acquisition, Dutch rights have been pre-empted by A W Bruna and German rights pre-empted by Rowohlt, with Spanish and Italian rights currently under offer.

An esteemed psychiatrist, humanitarian, democracy activist and survivor of Japanese colonialism and the Korean War, Rhee took up writing in his retirement and has become a popular essayist in Korea, where his books have resonated deeply with half a million readers, the publisher said.

“He offers the wisdom he’s learned along the way on everything from forgiveness and regret to perseverance, letting go of the rat race, the joys of living simply and the power of ordinary happiness," Rider continued. "It was an instant bestseller in his native Korea, where it spent seven consecutive weeks on the national bestseller list and was selected as a recommended book by the National Library of Korea.”

Rhee said: “I’ve always dreamed of my books reaching English readers but now, in my late 80s, that dream has actually come true and I find myself at a loss for words. Through this opportunity, I’ve got to connect, directly or indirectly, with numerous people—from translator to editor—who found something in my writing that resonated with their own lives. This small miracle makes me contemplate the notion of 인연 (因緣): how all our lives are interwoven in the narrative of the world at large, however many miles apart.

“Every single day since the news has been full of joy and deep gratitude, lighting up what I know to be my last years in this world. I hope my book will give readers around the world a glimpse into Korean culture and will impact their lives, guiding and comforting them, even half as much as writing it changed mine.”

Connelly said: “From reflections on forgiveness to lessons on ageing, acceptance, the simple life and happiness, Rhee’s beautifully honest writing offers just the kind of solace that we need in our modern age of individualism, distraction and burn-out. His wisdom and insight into what constitutes a life well-lived will resonate with readers of all ages, from burnt-out millennials to reflective retirees.”