With her worldwide success “Fear of Flying”, the New Yorker Erica Jong inspired the sexual liberation of women. She dared to set out for herself and demanded an encounter on equal terms. She wanted to change the world and still wants to today. With her own story, with her humour and with trust in the power of words.

Erica Jong’s debut novel Fear of Flying (1973) shook the literary world with its honest depictions of sexual desire from a woman’s perspective. She sold over 12.5 million copies by her 31st birthday and quickly became an icon for second-wave feminism. Filmed in New York City during the pandemic, this unconventional documentary provides Jong with the time and space to meditate on her long career from a distance. She reflects on the pitfalls of early fame, her insecurities, her changing relationship with her artistic parents and sister, her four marriages and how her identity became synonymous with her writing. Through archival footage, the film provides a glimpse of star-studded publicity tours and cocktail parties. Jong reflects on the writers who supported her and those who doubted her. She writes to break down barriers for women and fight inequality. This intimate portrait also captures her inspiring advocacy work, bringing attention to climate change and ongoing misogyny. Jong fosters the next generation of women writers in the US and abroad. Visiting the Venetian Ghetto, Jong discusses her complex relationship to Judaism, the power of Biblical stories, the intergenerational trauma she experienced, and their impact on her books. Through humor and her insightful words, Jong reminds us of the value of fantasy in everyday life.

Sponsored by Goldie Lang