THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (November 12, 2023): This week’s issue features ‘Fear of Flying’ turns 50 – With its feminist take on sexual pleasure, Erica Jong’s novel caused a sensation in 1973; The 2023 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books, and more…

‘Fear of Flying’ Is 50. What Happened to Its Dream of Freedom Through Sex?

This color photo is a close-up of a woman’s face near a window. She is wearing a cream-colored blouse and pearls, and her face, partly concealed by her thick blond shoulder-length hair, is turning toward the camera.

With its feminist take on sexual pleasure, Erica Jong’s novel caused a sensation in 1973. But the revolution Jong promoted never came to pass.

By Jane Kamensky

Fifty years ago last month, Erica Jong published a debut novel that went on to sell more than 20 million copies. “Fear of Flying,” a book so sexually frank that you may have found it hidden in your mother’s underwear drawer, broke new ground in the explicitness of writing by and for women. Jong’s heroine, Isadora Wing, was a live wire. She was also a dead end, certainly for Jong, and maybe for feminism, too.

6 New Paperbacks to Read This Week

Recommended reading from the Book Review, including titles by John Edgar Wideman, Yasunari Kawabata, Allegra Goodman and more.

Directed, Filmed and Edited by: Edmund Beck

Music composed by: Simon Whiteside
Interview and Graphics by: Laurence Beck
Sound mix by: David Mead

Short documentary film about Author, illustrator Ian Beck. A brief look at his life and where he works. Included are, his inspirations from childhood reading, the making of the artwork for Elton John’s 1973 album ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ and his current project in collaboration with Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials) creating a Myriorama.

Ian Archibald Beck is an English children’s illustrator and author. In addition to his numerous children’s books, he is also known for his cover illustration on Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. More than a million copies of his books have been sold worldwide.