Erica Jong

Lore & Background

Erica Mann was born in Manhattan, New York, on March 26, 1942, one of three daughters of Seymour Mann and Eda Mirsky. Her father was a businessman of Polish-Jewish ancestry who owned a gifts and home accessories company known for mass-producing porcelain dolls; her mother was a painter and textile designer. She attended the High School of Music & Art in Harlem in the 1950s, then Barnard College, where she edited the Barnard Literary Magazine and created poetry programs for Columbia University's radio station. She graduated from Barnard in 1963 and earned an MA in 18th-century English Literature from Columbia in 1965, writing her master's thesis on representations of women in the poetry of Alexander Pope.

Jong's first novel, *Fear of Flying* (1973), created a sensation with its frank treatment of a woman's sexual desires, following the character Isadora Wing. The book addresses conflicts arising for women in late 1960s and early 1970s America—womanhood, femininity, sex, and relationships versus the quest for freedom and purpose. The saga continues in two further novels, *How to Save Your Own Life* (1977) and *Parachutes and Kisses* (1984). Jong married three times: to Michael Werthman (1963, soon divorced), Allan Jong (1966, divorced), and Jonathan Fast (1977, divorced). She and Fast had a daughter, Molly Jong-Fast. Her fourth marriage was to Kenneth David Burrows, a New York litigator, until his death on December 14, 2023.

Reader's Guide

Erica Jong's significance rests primarily on *Fear of Flying*, which became a landmark work of second-wave feminism for its unflinching portrayal of female sexuality and desire. The novel's commercial success—over 37 million copies sold—and its controversial reception helped shift public discourse on women's autonomy and sexual liberation. Jong's work employed psychological and humorous elements, rich cultural and literary references, and frank depictions of sex, contributing to the broader feminist movement's challenge to traditional gender roles. Her later novels continued the story of Isadora Wing, exploring themes of fulfillment and identity. Beyond fiction, Jong wrote poetry and nonfiction, and her literary archive was acquired by Columbia University in 2007. She has been referenced in popular culture, including Bob Dylan's song 'Highlands' and a satirical track by MC Paul Barman. In 2008, she publicly supported same-sex marriage. Diagnosed with dementia in the early 2020s, she lived in a nursing home in Manhattan as of 2025.

Did You Know?

• Jong's former son-in-law Peter Daou produced a 1994 concept album titled *Zipless* based on her novel *Fear of Flying*.
• She lived on an army base in Heidelberg, West Germany for three years (1966–69) with her second husband.
• Her daughter Molly Jong-Fast is a writer and political commentator, but has not published a memoir titled *How to Lose Your Mother*.
• Jong is mentioned in Bob Dylan's song 'Highlands' on his Grammy Award-winning album *Time Out of Mind* (1997).

The Novel That Shook a Generation

Erica Jong burst onto the literary scene in 1973 with her debut novel, Fear of Flying, a work that immediately became a cultural earthquake. Through the eyes of Isadora Wing—a woman in her late twenties wrestling with questions of identity, desire, and direction—Jong laid bare the tensions that defined a generation of American women navigating the shift from the 1960s into the 1970s. The novel blended psychological insight with sharp humor, wove in dense cultural and literary allusions, and spoke openly about female sexuality in a way that was genuinely unprecedented in mainstream fiction. Its frankness made it controversial, but it also cemented its place as a landmark text in second-wave feminism. More than 37 million copies have sold worldwide. Jong followed Isadora's story in two sequels, How to Save Your Own Life (1977) and Parachutes and Kisses (1984), and later turned her pen to Venice in Shylock's Daughter. Beyond novels, she has worked as a satirist and poet, building a body of work that refuses to be confined to a single genre.

A Manhattan Childhood and a Literary Education

Erica Mann entered the world on March 26, 1942, in Manhattan, the middle daughter of Seymour Mann and Eda Mirsky. Her father, a Polish-Jewish businessman, ran a company that mass-produced porcelain dolls and home accessories; her mother, born in England to a Russian-Jewish immigrant family, was a painter and textile designer who also created doll designs for her husband's firm. The household was creative and commercially minded in equal measure. Erica attended the High School of Music and Art in Harlem during the 1950s, a setting that sharpened her love of both visual art and writing. She went on to Barnard College, where she edited the campus literary magazine and produced poetry programs for Columbia's WKCR radio station. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1963 and followed it with a master's in 18th-century English Literature from Columbia in 1965, writing her thesis on how Alexander Pope portrayed women in his verse. During her Barnard years she briefly married Michael Werthman, a union that ended in divorce. In 1966 she wed Allan Jong, a Chinese American psychiatrist, and she kept his surname for the rest of her life even after their marriage dissolved.

Marriages, Motherhood, and Later Years

Jong's personal life was marked by four marriages, three of which ended in divorce. After her early union with Michael Werthman and her marriage to psychiatrist Allan Jong, she married novelist and educator Jonathan Fast in 1977; he was the son of the celebrated writer Howard Fast. Their relationship was woven into the fabric of both How to Save Your Own Life and Parachutes and Kisses. The couple had a daughter, Molly Jong-Fast, who in 2025 published a memoir about her complicated bond with her mother titled How to Lose Your Mother. Jong's final marriage was to Kenneth David Burrows, a New York litigator, who passed away in December 2023. Her geographic life was equally varied: she spent three years on an army base in Heidelberg, West Germany, in the late 1960s, made Venice a recurring source of inspiration, and maintained an Upper East Side apartment until 2023 alongside a home in Connecticut. In 2007, Columbia University acquired her literary archive. In the early 2020s she was diagnosed with dementia, and as of 2025 she resides in a Manhattan nursing home.

Awards, Cultural Echoes, and Lasting Influence

Jong's recognition spanned continents and disciplines. She received Poetry Magazine's Bess Hokin Prize in 1971, the Sigmund Freud Award for Literature in 1975, a United Nations Award for Excellence in Literature in 1998, the Deauville Award for Literary Excellence in France, and Italy's Fernanda Pivano Award for American Literature. Her cultural footprint extended well beyond the bookshelf. Bob Dylan referenced her in "Highlands," the closing track of his Grammy-winning 1997 album Time Out of Mind, naming her among the women authors his narrator reads. Rapper MC Paul Barman satirized her on the track "N.O.W.," imagining a young leftist clutching a fictitious Jong title called America's Wrong. Her nephew Peter Daou, a political strategist and former musician, produced the 1994 concept album Zipless, built around the world of Fear of Flying. In 2008 she publicly voiced support for same-sex marriage, arguing it promotes stability and benefits children. A 2023 documentary, Erica Jong – Breaking the Wall, directed by Kaspar Kasics, further cemented her story for a new generation.