Brown, Dan 1964-

views updated

BROWN, Dan 1964-

PERSONAL: Born June 22, 1964 in Exeter, NH; son of a math professor and a professional sacred musician; married; wife's name Blythe (an art historian and painter). Education: Amherst College, B.A., 1986; studied art history at University of Seville, Spain. Hobbies and other interests: Hiking, squash, tennis, musical composition.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Author. Formerly an English teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH.

WRITINGS:

Digital Fortress, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Angels and Demons, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Deception Point, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Da Vinci Code, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2003.

Brown's work has been translated into numerous languages.

ADAPTATIONS: Film rights to The Da Vinci Code were purchased by Columbia Pictures, Inc.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A sequel to The Da Vinci Code.

SIDELIGHTS: Dan Brown's interest in code-breaking and government intelligence agencies developed after one of his students at Phillips Exeter Academy was detained by the U.S. Secret Service following a night of political debate with friends via e-mail. Though the student was never prosecuted, the incident "really stuck with me," Brown told Claire E. White in an interview for Writers Write. "I couldn't figure out how the Secret Service knew what these kids were saying in their E-mail." Subsequent research on government organizations and intelligence data resulted in his debut novel, a techno-thriller titled Digital Fortress. It is the story of an attack on a government computer known as TRNSLTR, which is supposed to monitor e-mail between terrorists but can also be used to read the mail of civilians. When TRNSLTR discovers a code it cannot break, Susan Fletcher, a government cryptographer, is called upon to help. What she uncovers is a threat to the nation and its government, as well as to her own survival. According to a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, "In this fast-paced, plausible tale, Brown blurs the line between good and evil enough to delight patriots and paranoids alike."

In his second novel, Angels and Demons, Brown introduces protagonist Robert Langdon, a well-known Harvard symbologist. Langdon is called in to assist Swiss investigators in deciphering the markings left on the body of a murdered scientist and finds himself in the thick of a terrorist plot against a group of Roman Catholic cardinals working at the Vatican. Inspired by Brown's own tour of the tunnels beneath Vatican City, Angels and Demons imagines the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati—the enlightened ones—that desires revenge against the Vatican for crimes against scientists like Galileo and Copernicus. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted that, "Though its premises strain credulity, Brown's tale is laced with twists and shocks that keep the reader wired right up to the last revelation." Jeff Ayers, in a review for Library Journal, called the novel "one of the best international thrillers of recent years," concluding that "Brown clearly knows how to deliver the goods."

Deception Point, Brown's third novel, revolves around NASA's discovery of a meteor in the Arctic circle that may contain proof of extraterrestrial life. The discovery coincides with the mysterious death of an agency scientist, as well as with an important presidential election. Library Journal's Jeff Ayers noted, "Brown … proves once again that he is among the most intelligent and dynamic of authors in the thriller genre." A Kirkus Reviews contributor called Deception Point "mostly tedious," but added that Brown's "impressive grasp of his material" makes him "a more astute storyteller than most of his brethren in the technothriller vein." David Pitt, writing for Booklist, remarked that the "characters range from inventive to wooden" and that the plot "lies somewhere between bold and ridiculous," but praised Brown's "knack for spinning a suspenseful yarn." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly also praised Brown's storytelling skills, calling Deception Point an "excellent thriller—a big yet believable story unfolding at breakneck pace, with convincing settings and just the right blend of likable and hateful characters."

Protagonist Robert Langdon returns in Brown's fourth novel, The Da Vinci Code. The book, which debuted in early 2003 at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, has since been translated into over thirty languages. The story begins with the murder of the chief curator of the Louvre in Paris. When a mysterious riddle is discovered planted near the body, French authorities call Langdon in to investigate. Subsequent clues lead the symbolist to the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci and, as the story progresses, on a long and dangerous quest for the Holy Grail. Library Journal's Jeff Ayers called The Da Vinci Code an "amazing sequel" through which Brown "solidifies his reputation as one of the most skilled thriller writers on the planet." A Publishers Weekly reviewer remarked that while "Brown sometimes ladles out too much religious history at the expense of pacing," he "has assembled a whopper of a plot that will please both conspiracy buffs and thriller addicts." Frank Sennett in Booklist praised the novel's "brain-teasing puzzles and fascinating insights into religious history and art," adding that "Brown's intricate plot delivers more satisfying twists than a licorice factory." New York Times critic Janet Maslin called The Da Vinci Code a "gleefully erudite suspense novel" in which Brown "takes the format he has been developing through three earlier novels and fine-tunes it to blockbuster perfection."

Brown spent over a year of research before writing The Da Vinci Code. Some critics, such as Bookpage reviewer Edward Morris, have attributed the novel's appeal to its "plot-related codes and cryptograms that impel the reader to brainstorm with the protagonists." Jo Ann Heydron in Sojourners noted that "the book's narrative drive is all the more remarkable because it contains a skeletal history of a real secret society, of which Leonardo Da Vinci and other icons of Western culture are said to have been members." The novel also stirred some debate due to its treatment of Christian theology and biblical characters, particularly Mary Magdalene. In addition, charges were leveled by veteran novelist Lewis Perdue that Brown's 2003 bestseller too-closely resembles Perdue's 2000 novel, Daughter of God; Brown maintained that he was unfamiliar with Perdue's book.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2001, David Pitt, review of Deception Point, p. 198; March 1, 2003, Frank Sennett, review of The Da Vinci Code, p. 1148.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2001, review of Deception Point, p. 1232; January 1, 2003, review of The Da Vinci Code, p. 5.

Library Journal, November 15, 2000, Jeff Ayers, review of Angels and Demons, p. 124; October 1, 2001, Jeff Ayers, review of Deception Point, p. 139; February 1, 2003, Jeff Ayers, review of The Da Vinci Code, p. 114.

Newsweek, June 9, 2003, "Page-Turner: A Stolen 'Da Vinci'—or Just Weirdness?," p. 57.

New Yorker May 5, 2003, Nick Paumgarten, "Acknowledged," p. 36.

New York Times, March 17, 2003, Janet Maslin, review of The Da Vinci Code.

People, March 24, 2003, review of The Da Vinci Code.

Publishers Weekly, December 22, 1997, review of Digital Fortress, p. 39; May 1, 2000, review of Angels and Demons, p. 51; September 10, 2001, review of Deception Point, p. 56; January 27, 2003, Charlotte Abbott, "Code Word: Breakout," p. 117; February 3, 2003, review of The Da Vinci Code, p. 53.

Sojourner, July-August, 2003, Jo Ann Heydron, review of The Da Vinci Code, p. 58.

Time, August 11, 2003, David Van Biema, "Mary Magdalene: Saint or Sinner?"