Michelle Zauner, musician and author of 'Crying in H Mart,' shares her journey of grief and identity through her latest album, 'For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).' She discusses her transformative year in South Korea, the emotional complexity of language learning, and how writing helped her navigate loss. Zauner reflects on her breakout SXSW performance and her evolving relationship with her father after her mother's passing. She also teases her plans for a second book and celebrates her growth during her world tour.
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Year in Korea Reset and Heal
Michelle Zauner moved to Korea for a year to reset and write her second book while studying the language deeply.
The year away helped her overcome stage fright and regain happiness and health on tour.
insights INSIGHT
Grief and Choices Explored in Album
The album 'For Melancholy Brunettes and Sad Women' reflects on time and choices, focusing on what is missed and anticipated grief.
Zauner explores the cost of pursuing dreams while sacrificing presence with loved ones.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Keeping Daily Bilingual Diaries
Michelle Zauner describes daily 10-minute diary entries in English and Korean during her Korea stay, showing her language progress and cultural struggles.
She shares challenges navigating Korean formal and casual speech, especially with her aunt.
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The Magic Mountain is a novel by Thomas Mann, published in 1924. It follows the story of Hans Castorp, a young man from a Hamburg merchant family, who visits his tubercular cousin Joachim at a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland. Initially planning to stay for three weeks, Castorp ends up staying for seven years, immersing himself in the unique world of the sanatorium. The novel delves into themes of time, illness, and the intellectual and philosophical debates of the pre-World War I era. It is a parable of Europe before the Great War and a prophecy of the future, highlighting the decline of European civilization and the rise of irrational and destructive forces. The narrative is characterized by Mann's ironic and omniscient storytelling, exploring the human condition through Castorp's experiences and the diverse characters he encounters at the sanatorium[2][3][4].
Crying in H Mart
Michelle Zauner
In this memoir, Michelle Zauner recounts her life growing up as a Korean-American, her complex relationship with her mother, and the impact of her mother's death from pancreatic cancer. The book explores Zauner's struggles with her mixed-race identity, her experiences with cultural heritage, and the significant role food played in her life and her connection to her Korean roots. It also delves into her rebellious teenage years, her career in music, and her journey of self-discovery and reconciliation with her identity after her mother's passing[3][4][5].
Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) has long turned to music to make sense of the past. Today, she joins us to unpack all of the emotional terrain covered in her latest album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).
We discuss the literary (6:08) and musical (7:32) influences that shaped the new record, her transformative year spent living and writing in Korea (13:12), and the daily diary she kept while abroad (15:44). We then celebrate her late mother (18:56), her exploration of identity in Crying in H Mart (23:19), and the song “Heft” born out of that ongoing grief (29:49).
On the back half, Zauner recounts her breakout performance at SXSW (35:30) and unpacks her evolving relationship with her father in the wake of her mother’s passing (43:17), her plans for a second book (56:40), and how she’s coming into her own on this latest world-wide tour (58:02).
Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.
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