Who Is Dan Brown?

Dan Brown is a popular American author who was born on the 22nd of June 1964. He is best known for his bestsellers 'Angels and Demons' (2000) and 'The Da Vinci Dode' (2003). 'The Da Vinci Code' was made into a popular movie starring Tom Hanks and Sir Ian McKellen in 2006, and a movie of 'Angels and Demons' is planned for release this year.

Dan Brown is an author best known for writing the novels "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons".

Early life

Dan Brown was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States on the 22^nd June 1964. He grew up surrounded by science and religion, which served as inspiration for his novel "Angels and Demons" and many of his other works. Before pursuing a career as a writer, he graduated from Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he worked as an English teacher.

Career as a musician

In the 1990s, Brown pursued a music career after joining the National Academy of Songwriters, where he met his wife, Blythe Newlon. In 1993, he released an album entitled "Dan Brown". He released another CD a year later, which was given the same name as his later novel, Angels and Demons. Songs on the CD included a number of religious songs.

Career as a writer

In the same year that Brown released his second CD, he began to work on "Digital Fortress", which was his first novel. He became a full time writer in 1996 and "Digital Fortress" was published in 1998. His wife helped him to promote the book, which is a techno-thriller novel. Brown’s love of code-breaking led to him including it in many of his novels and "Digital Fortress" was the first to have a storyline that included code-breaking.

Brown wrote a few other novels, but it wasn’t until the release of the "Da Vinci Code" that his career as a writer really started to take off. The book, which was released in 2003, became an instant best seller, earning a place on the New York Times Best Seller list. The book’s popularity has caused Brown’s earlier books to become more popular.

"The Da Vinci Code" was the second novel to feature the character Robery Langdon, who first appeared in "Angels and Demons". Brown named the character after John Langdon, who created ambigrams for Brown’s "Angels and Demons CD". The ambigrams were later used for the novel of the same name. Brown has based many other characters on real life people, including his editor and a teacher from the Phillips Exeter Academy.

Other novels written by Brown include "Deception Point", a scientific thriller that was published in 2001.

Film adaptations

"The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" have both been adapted to film. "The Da Vinci Code" was released in 2006. Fans eagerly awaited the release of the film, but it received many negative reviews from critics, with some branding the plot as "silly", "contrived" and stating that the characters in the film were "thinly sketched". Some felt that the talent of well-known actors in the film, which starred Tom Hanks and Ian Mckellen, who was praised for his performance, were wasted. As a result of all the negative responses, the film was voted as the second worst movie of 2006.
The film adaptation of "Angels and Demons" is due for release in May 2009, with Tom Hanks returning in his role as the lead character, Robert Langdon.

Controversy

Brown’s "Da Vinci Code" was criticised for the misrepresentations of the main aspects of Christianity. The books was not favoured by Catholic and Christian communities. As a result of readers saying that the book is anti-Christian, Brown made it clear on his website that he is a Christian and has defended the elements of the novel that were criticised.

The film adaptation also caused much controversy, with some bishops attempting to have the film boycotted and protesters standing outside theatres during early screenings of the film. Reactions in different countries were generally negative and the film was even booed at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was particularly badly received in the Philippines, where it was blasted as the most blasphemous film in history. Christian groups in Thailand wanted the film banned and in Samoa, the film was banned completely.

Other works

As well as his bestselling novels, Brown has also worked on some humour writing, which he wrote with his wife. The first of these was "187 Men to Avoid: A Survival Guide For The Romantically Frustrated Woman", which he wrote under the pseudonym Danielle Brown. The second was "The Bald Book", which was written in 1998.

Future novels

The next novel from Dan Brown will be "The Solomon Key". This novel will feature the character Robert Langdon, from "Angels and Demons" and the "Da Vinci Code".