Women in Switzerland had just been given the right to vote. In the US in 1973, the sexual fantasies of a female protagonist caused red heads. It’s unheard of for a woman to play erotic mind games – and then other things like that: the protagonist Isadora Wing dreams of fast, no-commitment, great sex. 50 years ago, writer Erica Jong (80) entered territory previously reserved for male writers like Henry Miller and Philip Roth.
Erica Jong had assumed that her draft would never be published, so she wrote it without hesitation. But he was wrong: a publisher was found.
The novel “Fear of Flying” by the then-31-year-old, twice-married daughter of an artist couple brought feminist concerns directly into the living rooms and bedrooms of Puritan American homes.
Star status thanks to the first novel
Since then, a novel by a woman who broke up with her marriage to lead an independent life has sold more than 37 million copies. Translated into more than 45 languages. Erica Jong’s neologism has been adopted as “zip-up fuck”, a term for anonymous sex.
Praised as much as it was unwelcome, this first novel eclipsed his later work, which has about 25 books, including poetry and non-fiction. Gained economic independence with the novel; Her worldwide success has made her a feminist icon and a famous figure on the New York cultural scene.
sex in old age
The German press has also always been interested in Erica Jong, most recently in 2015 when she not only helped her first novel character Isadora Wing return with “Fear of Dying” but also broke a taboo: the sexual desire of old women Theme.
Documentary director Kaspar Kasics (70) stumbled upon this latest novel by chance. “I was surprised by how witty and clever he wrote about his parents who didn’t want to die,” says the Zurich native. His curiosity grew and he made his decision when he realized that there was no documentary about this extraordinary woman being watched on television around the world. Her film “Erica Jong – Breaking the Wall” was screened at the Locarno Film Festival in 2022, it is currently screened in Swiss cinemas and in Germany and the USA in the spring.
Cinematic portrait of a tireless woman
Everyone who has watched the movie knows Erica Jong, now a four-year-old grandmother and married for over 30 years to divorce lawyer Ken Burrows (81), as smart, witty, well-groomed. She lives in a penthouse full of art and books on New York’s trendy Upper East Side.
Two king poodles are taken for a walk, an employee works in the kitchen, an assistant helps him develop his autobiography, a personal trainer guides him through fitness in the park. He spends time with his family, works as a speaker, and supports emerging writers. You are in good health; her husband’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s has yet to have a major impact on their life together.
Still fearless and combative. He says he was directed to shake people up in the movie. And he already does not want to rest. “Grandmas must be in power,” he wrote in an email with Sunday Blick magazine. Grandmothers have a clear view of what has changed over the past few decades and what still needs to change. They keep all humanity in mind and also identify with both sexes. It would be a very different world, writes Erica Jong, in a world where grandparents rather than grandparents hold important political positions. “I wouldn’t kick grandparents out, but I would give grandmas a lot more power and influence.”
Impressive historical records
In the 1970s, women’s voices were less heard than they are today. If a young woman slurred on major talk shows, she could be lectured and embarrassed by male moderators. This is shown in recordings from that time that Kaspar Kasics edited into his movie.
For example: On a talk show, Erica Jong points out the interviewer’s double standard. “Why shouldn’t women swear while men swear too?” she asks. “Women can’t urinate upright either,” he replies, waving his hand vigorously, getting applause from the audience and a standing ovation from the studio group.
Another host says that he is responsible for women’s sexual desire. Erica Jong says this is one of the things women have had to suppress for generations.
It was around the time when Erica Jong became a public figure in her early 30s. Her voice gave tremendous support to feminist causes. Ten years later, on another talk show, he summarized the social changes as follows: Women can now own everything, have children, and make a living. The result: “We’re all tired all the time!”
Being a woman is a disadvantage
It’s a condition that many women will probably know in a few decades. How does Erica Jong assess the plight of young women today? Emails that progress is being made. “More disadvantages emerged for women. But not all of them yet.” In her twenties, she became aware of the prejudices against women herself. “Women’s work was not objectively seen as human work, it was always seen as a woman’s work,” she writes.
So is her mother, the most talented painter in the art school. She wasn’t promoted because she’s a woman. She finally gave up on her artistic career.
The fact that “Fear of Flying” was written by a woman had a huge impact on perception: the novel was perceived as a sex book. The underlying theme of self-empowerment was hidden. “I was shocked that some people thought it was a dirty book,” Erica Jong tells documentary filmmaker Kaspar Kasics.
radical honesty
Perceived injustices pushed Erica Jong to continue. She wanted nothing less than to change the world. Meaning: radical honesty. “Telling the truth about our lives is a way of liberation,” she says.
She considers herself the historian of a woman’s life and works tirelessly to make female voices heard. The fact that this New Yorker still has something to say – the public owes their realization to Kaspar Kasics’ film portrait.