How many of you have read Doomsday conspiracy by Sydney Sheldon? I have . When Dan Brown read it on a holiday in a beach in Tahiti in 1994, he thought to himself “Hey even I can do that!”, and that’s how his writing career began!
His first book “187 Men to Avoid: A Guide for the Romantically Frustrated Woman” was written under the pseudonym Danielle Brown along with Blythe (his wife and now a art historian ). The following year Dan Brown quit his “not-so-good” music career * and became a full-time writer.
Being a son of a math teacher, codes and puzzles naturally enthralled Dan Brown. During Christmas, instead of placing gifts under the tree for his siblings and him, his parents used to leave puzzles and clues to treasure it out. Intrigued, Dan Brown would often delve into mysteries. In his words “I consider myself a student of many religions. For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work.”
Dan Brown’s first novel, “Digital fortress” hit the markets in the year 1998. As the proverbial supporting women, Blythe helped Dan Brown research and soon, Angels and Demons and Deception Point were released in the following years. In the year 2003, “Da Vinci Code” was released. 6000 copies were sold on the first day and it soon became New York Times Best Seller. The sales figures for The Da Vinci Code kept on growing – to the extent that it became established as the fastest-selling adult novel ever with some 40 million copies sold that had reputedly earned Dan Brown around £140 million by early 2006.” (Source: age-of-the-saga.org). The book “Lost Symbol” released in 2009 is another novel based on cryptology and the events that take place after Da vinci code featuring Robert Langdon. The book sold a whopping one million in hardcover and e-book versions in the U.S., the UK and Canada and thus became the fastest selling adult novel in history.
The characters in his novels are usually named after friends and acquaintances. Robert Langdon is named after his friend, John Langdon. Dan Brown said that he has 15 stories with Robert Langdon in his mind.
His personal history
Born to a professional music play and a math teacher in New Hampshire, Dan Brown explored his music talents as a pianist, a song-writer only to claim marginal success. Soon, he moved to Los Angeles where he taught Spanish. He acquainted Blythe, Artistic Director of the National Academy of Songwriters. Dan Brown released more than four music CDs in his music career but failed to be a great performer. Dan Brown and Blythe soon got married.
Interview (bookbrowse.com)
Q: You seem to have a fascination with secret societies. Can you comment?
DB: My interest in secret societies is the product of many experiences, some I can discuss, others I cannot. Certainly my research of organizations like NSA, the Vatican, NRO, and Opus Dei continues to fuel my intrigue. At a more fundamental level, though, my interest sparks from growing up in New England, surrounded by the clandestine clubs of Ivy League universities, the Masonic lodges of our Founding Fathers, and the hidden hallways of early government power. New England has a long tradition of elite private clubs, fraternities, and secrecy.
An excerpt (from Da Vinci Code) that I really loved:
Alone now, Jacques Saunière turned his gaze again to the iron gate. He was trapped, and the doors could not be reopened for at least twenty minutes. By the time anyone got to him, he would be dead. Even so, the fear that now gripped him was a fear far greater than that of his own death. I must pass on the secret. Staggering to his feet, he pictured his three murdered brethren. He thought of the generations who had come before them…of the mission with which they had all been entrusted. An unbroken chain of knowledge. Suddenly, now, despite all the precautions…despite all the fail safes…Jacques Saunière was the only remaining link, the sole guardian of one of the most powerful secrets ever kept. Shivering, he pulled himself to his feet. I must find some way…. He was trapped inside the Grand Gallery, and there existed only one person on earth to whom he could pass the torch. Saunière gazed up at the walls of his opulent prison. A collection of the world’s most famous paintings seemed to smile down on him like old friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment