Writing ‘Fear of Dying’, Jong says, was an attempt to fill in a story she feels has been missing from our literature. It’s the story of an older woman coming to terms with her life and the sense that “sex at sixty was an embarrassment. Even if you still looked good, you knew too much.” In continuation of this, Jong believes that  “life gets better as you get older. Your judgment is better. Your passion is greater. Your ability to understand life is greater than ever before.”

Erica Jong (b. 1942) is an American novelist, essayist, and poet. She has published more than 25 works of both fiction and non-fiction but is perhaps most known for her 1973 novel ‘Fear of Flying’ which has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold over 27 million copies. The novel was considered controversial due to its portrayal of female sexuality linked to second-wave feminism. In 2015 Jong published the sequel to her debut, ‘Fear of Dying’.

Jong performed at the Louisiana Literature festival in Denmark in August 2016.

Camera: Klaus Elmer
Edited by Klaus Elmer

Produced by Marc-Christoph Wagner

Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2018

Supported by Nordea-fonden