Brown, Dan (1964-…), is an American author who has gained international fame for his suspense novels. Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code (2003), one of the most popular novels in modern publishing history.
The Da Vinci Code is a fast-paced thriller that involves murder, religion, secret codes, history, exciting chases, and international conspiracies. The central character is a Harvard University professor named Robert Langdon, whose field is symbology (the study of symbols). Langdon attempts to solve the murder of an art scholar who was killed in the Louvre, a famous art museum in Paris. Langdon’s investigation leads him to a discovery that could threaten basic beliefs of Christianity.
Robert Langdon also appears in several other Brown thrillers. In Angels and Demons (2000), he helps investigate the murder of a scientist in Switzerland and uncovers a terrorist plot against Roman Catholic cardinals, high officials of the church. In The Lost Symbol (2009), Langdon battles a brilliant villain in a race to find the hidden source of an ancient power. An organization called the Freemasons, or Masons, plays an important role in the story, set in Washington, D.C. In Inferno (2013), Langdon attempts to solve a mystery centered on a section of the famous medieval epic poem The Divine Comedy. In Origin (2017), Brown seeks a secret password that could lead to a revolution in modern society’s understanding of religion and science.
Brown’s first novel was Digital Fortress (1998). It describes a mysterious code that government computers cannot break, threatening the security of the United States. Deception Point (2001) deals with the discovery of a meteor in the Arctic Circle that may provide proof that life exists beyond Earth.
Brown was born on June 22, 1964, in Exeter, New Hampshire. He received a B.A. degree in 1986 from Amherst College. Brown taught at Phillips Exeter Academy from 1993 to 1996. He then became a full-time writer.
