Who Wrote 'O'?

Jan. 11, 2011 -- This much is known: A new book, "O: A Presidential Novel," will be released Jan. 25. The 368-page novel will sell for $25.99 a copy ($16.97 on pre-order).

What is unkown? The book's content and its author.

Simon and Schuster, the publisher, said on its website that the novel is "written by an anonymous author who has spent years observing politics and the fraught relationship between public image and self-regard."

The novel includes revealing and insightful portraits of many prominent figures in the political world — some invented and some real.

That is a "novel in which real persons or actual events figure under disguise," according to Webster's.

But whose real life the novel describes is the subject of much debate.

Washington loves secrets, whether it's a long-held, well-kept secret like the identity of Deep Throat or a good conspiracy theory. Dan Brown ("The Da Vinci Code") tried his hand at Washington secrets with "The Lost Symbol" in 2009.

A secretive novel about a sitting president immediately draws comparisons to "Primary Colors," the 1996 novel based loosely on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. That book was wirtten by someone called "Anonymous," and featured a Southern governor whose presidential bid was affected by allegations of an affair. The similarities to Bill Clinton, his wife, Hillary, and several of his aides were clear.