Will Book World Be Extra Kind to Len Downie?

Who would have guessed? Len Downie has written a novel.

First-time novelists can be secretive about their work, and the Post’s executive editor has declined an interview. This we hear from sources: He’s been working on it for at least two years. The plot is about journalists and politicians. He’s ready to publish.

Downie, who turned 65 on May 1, succeeded Ben Bradlee as executive editor in 1991. He is said to have reveled in the writing. Could this hint at life after the Post?

This article first appeared in the October 2007 issue of Washingtonian Magazine, available on newsstands.