Melissa Febos Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Melissa Febos

Largely writing literary fiction, Melissa Febos has become world-renowned due to her intelligent and incisive style of writing. Knowing her audience inside out, she really deliver on every single level, writing stories that reach readers around the world. With many of her books being well received by the critical establishment too, she’s a hugely relatable author with much to say. Keeping her audience hooked to the page too, she knows exactly what her stories are looking for, really moving the genre forwards.

Often drawing inspiration and creativity from her own life, Febos perfectly understands what’s needed from her work. Putting all of her ideas into her novels, Febos is another level when it comes to gifted fantasy titles, and literature in general. Many of her books have taken in some inspiration from her own personal experience, giving them a greater level of depth in the process. Taking the reader on a journey of the imagination as well, she will not be finishing her literary career any time soon either.

Another factor that sets Febos apart from other writers is her use of character, as she is extremely gifted at creating personalities. Allowing them to come alive, she really understands how they move forwards and function as individual people with something to say. Leaving a strong impression upon the reader, she makes sure to include a distinctive message that keeps readers involved. With so much more to come still, she’s a writer with plenty more to say, as she’s not going away anytime in the near future.

Early and Personal Life

A gifted writer from an early age, Melissa Febos grew up in Falmouth, Massachusetts, with her father who was a sea-captain, and her mother a therapist. Leaving home at sixteen following the passing of her GED, she would move to Boston, working in a number of different jobs. Working as a chambermaid and boatyard hand, she would later attend night courses based in the Harvard Extension School.

Enrolling in The New School, she would then move to New York City in August 1999, before gaining an MFA from the Sarah Lawrence College. During her studies at The New School she would work as a professional dominatrix, a role which she would later go on to write about in her memoir. Currently living in Iowa with her wife the poet Donika Kelly, she continues to write to this very day with more to come still.

Writing Career

Largely known for writing memoirs, the author Melissa Febos writes from a very real and personal place of intimacy. Over the course of her career, readers have got to know and understand her through her work and creativity, speaking in her own distinctive voice. Starting out with ‘Whip Smart: A Memoir’ back in 2010 which was published through ‘St. Martin’s Press,’ she has gone on to make a name for herself.

Other books she’d go on to write would include ‘Abandon Me’ and ‘Body Work,’ both of which were also memoirs. She’d also contribute to books, such as ‘Kink Stories,’ writing alongside other well known authors within her literary field. She’s also written essays for a variety of different outlets, including ‘The Guardian,’ ‘The Paris Review,’ ‘The Believer,’ and ‘The New York Times,’ to name just some of them, as well as winning awards and nominations for her work.

Abandon Me: Memoirs

Released following her first memoir ‘Whip Smart’ in 2010, this would come out on the 28th of February in 2017 to a great deal of acclaim as well. Looking at the life of Melissa Febos, it deals with many of her own experiences, relating them in a way that is down-to-earth yet poetic at the same time. Initially published through the ‘Bloomsbury USA’ publishing imprint, it works as a stand-alone title with its own self-contained narrative.

Laying bare the world of the professional dominatrix in her previous novel, this time Melissa Febos explores the need for connection with her family and friends. With Native American lineage on her father’s side, she reconnects with her roots, seeing how the past has manifested itself in her own life. She also looks at the father who raised her, a sea-captain who was away for long periods of time working, as Febos attempts to find herself. Dealing with her relationships with others as well, she charts her own loves and obsessions, making sense of it all in the process.

Written with a clear sense of lyricism to its prose, the book has an intricate yet clearly accessible style to it. Straightforward yet poetic, it sweeps up the reader, taking them on a journey essentially, giving them a completely different perspective. There’s a lot to unpack with this memoir, but it’s honest and truthful, with a lot to say and offer readers both far and wide.

Body Work

Going under the subtitle of ‘The Radical Power of Personal Narrative,’ this would be another personal memoir for Melissa Febos. Initially published in 2022 on the 15th of March, this would be an entirely stand-alone piece of work with a self-contained narrative. Coming out through the Catapult publishing label, it would be easy to pick up for audiences, with its personal and intimate style.

Looking at the art of writing as a creative outlet, Melissa Febos examines it in relation to her own life and what it means to her as an author. Breaking down how to go about relating relationships on the page, it provides straightforward advice for the reader in their own writing. It also sees Febos using her own life and experiences to help provide a more personal portrait, offering an in-depth example and analysis. Not holding back, she also looks at themes of privacy and subjectivity when it comes to writing in a more personal style.

Providing a moving account and testimony, this book offers so much in terms of both perspective and insight. Engaging a compelling in equal measure, it draws the reader in with its lyrical style of prose that Febos is so gifted at. Flowing across the page, she really understands what it is that her audience are looking for as well, speaking in a direct manner that fully immerses.