Customer Reviews

Seducing the Demon: Writing for My Life

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Erica Jong is brilliant and flawed, and so is Seducing the Demon:Writing for My Life.

Jong is at her best when providing warm, direct and thoughtful reflections about her life and writing career. Her portrayals of her relationship with her father, mother and siblings cut to the heart of family dynamics, and she is charmingly vulnerable when telling of her courtship by her fourth and current husband. Jong as a smart, thoughtful, gutsy, and needy "nice Jewish girl" from the Upper West Side captures the heart. Fortunately, three-quarters of Seducing the Demon displays this Erica Jong.

And what of the remaining portion of Seducing the Demon? Another poster on this site said it well: 'self-centered drivel' that relentlessly promotes Ms. Jong as the creator and embodiment of zipless coitus. These portions of the book, including an account of a 20-year-old one-nighter with the then-husband of Martha Stewart and a depiction of an erotic dream about Bill Clinton, are gratuitous, off-putting and ultimately boring. Erica the enfant terrible worked in the 70s...but is sadly outdated some 35 years later. (I will concede, however, that the one-nighter anecdote accomplished something that I never would have thought possible: eliciting my sympathy for Martha Stewart.)

Despite its flaws, Seducing the Demon is a zesty read and Erica Jong a worthwhile companion. Bottom line: 4 stars (1 off for shameless and gratuitous self-promotion).

About ten years or so ago I discovered FEAR OF FLYING by Erica Jong, and loved it. Since then I've read nearly every books she has written -- and I've enjoyed nearly all of them (with a couple exceptions). This new one, however, might be Jong's best book in years, certainly her bravest. In SEDUCING THE DEMON she writes about her own process of writing, what it was like to become famous for a novel, and about her own musings on other great writers. Along the way she talks about her mistakes, her achievements, and many of the interesting people she's met along the way. Overall, it is a fun, insightful read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Recommended for those who have loved some of Jong's earlier books, and/or for those who are interested in how one writer has wrestled with the muse, and is still writing at the top of her ability.

"What we all live for, hope for, would die for is what Henry Miller calls 'the dictation.' That's when the words take off on a frolic of their own, when you don't seem to be writing or thinking, but rather taking down some divine dictation. When Miller said 'a writer shouldn't think much,' he meant that we are better off tapping into the dictation than thinking about it." In this sprawling how-to guide turned memoir, longtime feminist and ball-busting novelist and poet Erica Jong attempts to describe the meaning behind her journey as a writer in pursuit of said "dictation" for the last three decades. Peppered with juicy remembrances of times past and written in Jong's signature bawdry style, SEDUCING THE DEMON offers an up-close-and-personal look into the life and words of a legendary literary demoness.

According to Jong, SEDUCING THE DEMON was originally intended to be an instructional guide of sorts, complete with suggestions and tips on how best to hone the craft of writing. Prior to publication, she scrapped the overly preachy manuscript and decided to write a glaringly candid memoir of her years as a writer instead. The end result is a mixed bag --- part confessional autobiography, part education manual. In some instances, she focuses on her wild sex life and the power instilled in her when writing about sex (it was Jong who coined the phrase "zipless f---" in her bestselling novel FEAR OF FLYING). In other sections, she writes about the prevalence of alcoholism and drug addiction in the field. Then, she darts back to her life as a sex-craving wife and mother, and then moves on to the privileges and pitfalls of fame. Some readers may feel frustrated by this seeming lack of focus, while others may find her stream-of-consciousness and lack of form refreshing. Whatever the verdict, it is clear that Jong has lived a life worth writing about.

In addition to penning 19 books of poetry, fiction and memoir, Jong has been married four times (she is still married to her fourth husband, Ken) and is the proud mother of novelist Molly Jong-Fast and grandmother of Max. She has hobnobbed with the likes of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes and calls Henry Miller a friend and an inspiration. She has slept with countless men and unabashedly so (one of them being Martha Stewart's former husband), and has battled the bottle like many of her predecessors and come out on top.

Her travels and corresponding writing enclaves have been extensive and far-flung, from a cramped fourth floor walk-up in Heidelberg, Germany (where she wrote FEAR OF FLYING at the ripe old age of 23), to a water-logged flat in Venice, to her current home in Connecticut. She dabbled as a painter as a young girl, enjoyed a short stint as an actress in the lurid play The Vagina Monologues, and attempted to translate FEAR OF FLYING for the screen when working with director-turned-cocaine addict Julia Phillips (the project was never green-lighted).

In the midst of all of this bedlam and glamour, Jong has always found time to write. "It's a way of imposing order on chaos," and for a woman who thrives on adventure and bucking the system in her own special way, recording her experiences and sharing them with the world is essential. "There is in writing --- or any creative work --- a kind of f--- you impulse. Part of the energy comes from sheer rebelliousness. I'll show you! a writer says. I am not who you think I am...No one really asks for a new book, but you need to write it. And your need will eventually infect your reader...Your job is to always be ready."

And ready she always is. A no-holds-barred memoir from one of America's most outspoken women, SEDUCING THE DEMON will both titillate and satisfy.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

I have re-written this review countless times, each time thinking Who am I to review Erica Jong? I am glad it took me several writings, because what has happened is that as I've skimmed Seducing the Demon many times over, I've discovered that I really like this book. My initial reaction was that I wanted more writing insight and less details of Jong's personal life. But as I've re-read sections I realize the book is packed full of writing advice, both direct and subtle. Jong uses quotes from an eclectic array of writers to illustrate her points, and the book is a good read for those alone. In the first chapter, Jong quotes both Hemingway and Merton as advising writers to write the truth, and her entire book is a testament to that advice. Rather than dictate rules, Jong shows us her creative process by sharing snippets of her life. Through several readings of the book it became quite clear that for Jong, living is the ultimate creative process. Her statement that writing is a way of imposing order on chaos speaks to the core of why I write.

I remember reading once that someone said author Erica Jong looked like Miss Piggy. Her upturned nose probably inspired that comparison, but I've always found Jong, the author of the infamously erotic "Fear of Flying," very attractive and sexy. The photograph of Jong, obviously snapped when she was in her 20s or 30s, adorning the front jacket of "Seducing the Demon: Writing For My Life," is striking. Now in her '60s, she remains a dish, but this book (the first of hers I've read) shows she's got a full plate, and is more than a babe.

Jong's book was "started as a book of advice for fledgling writers." My ego, my age, and my status as a professional writer (struggling, though I may be) may exempt me from the "fledgling" label, but writing is important to me, and I'm always interested in reading books by writers for whom writing is also important - a way of life rather than a way to earn fame or money.

In the final chapter, titled "Does Writing Trump Family," she says, "If you want to be a nice person, don't write."

"There's no way to (write) without grinding up your loved ones and making them into raw hamburger," she writes. Jong states elsewhere that all fiction is autobiography and all autobiography is fiction. As for genres - fiction, non-fiction, memoir - they don't exist. "I've always thought that the idea of genre was a blot on the soul of literature," she says. "Categories like novel, memoir, biography have no value when you're writing - however much value they may have to librarians or bookstores. A book is a book is a book."

When I started reading Jong's book, I had no idea her words would speak to me so clearly. I often read in search of confirmation that others think what I think, have suffered as I have, and are oppressed by the same fears, the same guilts, the same demons. A good writer must be honest as much as he/she possesses a skill with words. When this honesty is present, the writer and reader communicate with each other in an almost spiritual way, soul-to-soul, heart-to-heart.

When reading Jong's description of her father's last days, I'm reminded of my mother and her defiance, her refusal to eat or get involved in activities at the nursing home, as well as her 1999 hospitalization during which she was uncooperative, ripping the respirator from her throat, a move that actually kick-started her recovery. Jong describes her father in a similar way. He was a "fighter" who "tried to escape from the emergency room, from the ICU and from the hospital" and was proven right when "the pneumonia he caught in the hospital that would finally do him in at ninety-two and not any of the three types of cancer her got and conquered...He pulled out breathing tubes, peeing tubes, IVs. He did not go quietly."

James Baldwin said that art is the order that comes out of the disorder of life. Jong says "I think writing elevates my mood because it's a way of imposing order on chaos."

Reading Jong's fine book elevated my mood, as well as provided insight into her talent. And that cover photo? Damn, she's hot!

Brian W. Fairbanks

Erica Jong has written a very honest account of her life/writing. She makes the statement that all writing is non-fiction. The reader knows the characters from Fear of Flying and Any Woman's Blues are people that played an important role in Erica's life. She admits her mistakes and brags as usual about her conquests. I've always liked Erica Jong's books because they are so real. Erica is not afraid of what people will think of her and this book is no exception.

She mentions sleeping with Martha Stewart's ex-husband but i don't think she does that to be cruel or to brag, but rather she wants to set the record straight. She said that Martha said that she ruined her marriage and Erica, obviously, isn't all to blame. I must admit i'd like to see a fist fight between the too for fun.

Also, Erica talks about how she really admired women writers who took a risk and she mentions Sylvia Plath and how she respected her work. In fact, she respected it so much that when Ted Hughes tried to seduce her, she, believe it or not, didn't allow it to happen because of her feelings about Plath. Now, call me crazy, but does she think that Plath should come back from the dead and thank her. That's ridiculous. I love Erica Jong's writing but there are some things that she tells the reader that make her seem like she puts herself above others. Who really cares that she could have slept with Ted Hughes or Robert Redford--does she think that makes her special and unique? They're men! She knows better than that.

Even still, I suppose Erica just wanted to tell the whole story and felt that leaving out any of it wouldn't be telling the truth. She doesn't always put herself above everyone else though, she does mention that she was taken advantadge of by a younger man who took her money and car because she enjoyed his "life force," having sex with him essentially. He was the character named Dart in Any Woman's Blues.

When I read Fear Of Flying it changed my life and i've loved all of Jong's books since. And again, this one is no exception. I certainly recommend it.

I picked up this book with the impression that it would tell me more about how Ms. Jong writes her books. Well, I was mistaken. Seducing the Demon doesn't say very much on that subject. If that's your reason for wanting to read the book, you can skip it.

Over her career, Ms. Jong has read a great deal and writes in the book knowledgeably about 20th century women writers and the constraints that each experienced. These thoughts are interspaced with some fine poetry and nice long quotations. You feel like you are reading The New Yorker.

As you know, Ms. Jong has her bawdy side . . . which she feels quite comfortable sharing with you. So you'll read about a lot of tawdry escapades that I'm sure you'll feel like you really didn't need to know. I felt a little soiled by the end of the book by her various recountings.

I couldn't help but feel that some of this was exhibitionism. By contrast, for example, her back cover photo suggests a well lifted face. The book has references to plastic surgery . . . but no suggestion that the author may be an aficionado.

She meets the rich and famous . . . and sometimes the literary . . . but there's not much to report.

It's a strangely incomplete memoir from someone who has been a successful writer for quite along time. It seems like it's easier for her to reveal "sin" than to reveal herself as a wife, mother and friend.

The cover for her strong desire for inappropriate sexual connections is a stylish description of the seductive nature of writing and how sex stimulates writing . . . and writing's ability to keep her from being depressed. As justifications go, it's quite nicely written. But her arguments didn't really persuade me. Ms. Jong has some pretty severe self-esteem issues. In fact, that's the most revealing part of the book . . . and the most interesting.

Seducing the Demon. Unlike the dreams deferred of Langston Hughes, demons rarely dry up or wither away in the sun. The writing life may not be all things imagined, yet thousands of aspiring writers dream of one day getting that call. Ms. Jong's Seducing the Demon lets us in on her bitter but sweet journey. She inspires us to step onward with an understanding that the jog up these pathways are often paved with something other than gold. Yet still she writes.

There's a good memoir buried somewhere in the heap of re-edited commencement speeches and magazine think pieces that make up SEDUCING THE DEMON, Erica Jong's how-to book for would-be writers. The book jumps into overdrive when Jong recalls an early trip to California where, flush with the success of her novel FEAR OF FLYING, she sold the movie rights to Julia Phillips, a successful producer who was on the verge of a massive cocaine fueled breakdown. Jong's wild Hollywood nights contrasted sharply with her daytime visits to the Big Sur seaside home of aging lion Henry Miller, who exhibits an unexpected sweetness here in his extreme old age.

Later, under the disastrous tutelage of Noel Marshall and his wife, actress Tippi Hedren, Jong decides to sue Phillips and Columbia for reneging on their agreement to film FEAR OF FLYING. What a mistake! The suit plunges Jong into financial disaster and forces her into writing all sorts of hackwork just to keep afloat. Her literary reputation, never high to begin with, plunges ziplessly downwards.

SEDUCING THE DEMON seems a little desperate as Jong flings herself in all directions, rummaging through that ragbag of memory she calls her life. She rehearses the horrid love affair she had that already inspired a whole roman a clef ANY WOMAN'S LIFE, describing her hero memorably as the man whose erection wavered noticeably to the left, "in direct opposition to the tendency of his parents' politics." It's sentences like that that make you remember that Erica Jong was a poet first before becoming a pop novelist. She tells the story of how her daughter confessed to her that she was afraid of becoming a joke in Manhattan due to her cocaine addiction, then says, but this is my daughter's story to tell, not mine. I don't suppose anyone will finish this book, not even Jong's accountants, but it has its moments and oh, don't you wish she had obeyed her feminine instincts and actually taken Ted Hughes up on his offer of sexual favors? We would have had at least another few Jong novels out of it.

Like her writing her life has been enchanted with all the baggage that princesses seem to carry. Filled with insight, love, challenge, and children this written account of a woman who needs to write is a joy to read. Written in the most candid language full of wit and so many truths that are the human experience.

This book answered so many questions I had wondered about after reading her books of poetry and the books that chronicled her fictional character Isadora Wing. Who hasn't' read Fear of Flying and wondered if Isadora was the written incarnation of Erica Jong? Just like the other books this book of writing and living encapsulates honesty and discovery of self. She talks of other writers' life force as if she doesn't know that she herself has a life force that is communicated through her writing.

This is a wonderful book filled with insight of both a personal nature and her success as a writer. She talks of her marriages, loves, celebrities, writers, and most of all her journey as a writer since the age of 12. She holds honesty as the cornerstone of integrity and through her writing has delivered that integrity to the world.

girldiver:)