Who is Dan Brown? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Daniel Gerhard Dan Brown

Age: 60 Years, 60 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Blythe Brown (m. 1997)

father: Richard G. Brown

Born Country: United States

Novelists American Men

Height: 5'9" (175 cm), 5'9" Males

U.S. State: New Hampshire

City: Exeter, New Hampshire

More Facts

education: Amherst College, Phillips Exeter Academy, University of Seville

Recommended For You

1

Is Dan Brown still writing books?

Yes, Dan Brown is still writing books. His latest novel, "Origin," was published in 2017.
2

Are Dan Brown's books based on real events?

While Dan Brown's books are fiction, they often incorporate elements of real history, art, and science, which adds to their intrigue and authenticity.
3

Will there be a movie adaptation of Dan Brown's latest book?

There has been speculation about a movie adaptation of "Origin," but no official announcements have been made yet.
4

What is Dan Brown's writing process like?

Dan Brown is known for his meticulous research and intensive outlining process before writing. He typically starts with a detailed outline and then writes his novels in a structured and disciplined manner.
5

What is the symbolism behind the cover art of Dan Brown's books?

The cover art of Dan Brown's books often contains symbolic elements related to the themes and mysteries explored in the story. Brown works closely with his publishers and designers to create cover art that intrigues and captivates readers.

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Childhood & Early Life

Dan Brown was born in Exeter, New Hampshire to Richard G. Brown, a mathematics teacher, and Connie Brown, a music professor. He was the eldest of the three children and was raised as an Episcopalian.

Since young, Brown was comfortable dealing with multiple disciplines, which the world assumed to be poles apart from each other. Growing up in a household where science and religion coexisted peacefully, Brown got the taste of best of both the worlds. While the foundation of science rested on proofs, claims, equations and codes, religion relied on faith alone.

Educationally, Brown completed his formal education from Philips Exeter Academy after which he enrolled himself at the Amherst College. At the college, Brown was an active student. He was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and was also a writing student of visiting novelist Alan Lelchuk. He sang at the Amherst Glee Club and also played squash.

In 1985, Brown went to Seville Spain, to do an art history course from the University of Seville.

He completed his graduation from Amherst College, Massachusetts in 1986.

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Musical Career

Moving out from college, Brown took up music as his career option. He started creating effects with a synthesizer and also released a children’s cassette entitled SynthAnimals. The record included tracks like ‘Happy frogs’ and ‘Suzuki Elephants’. The cassette acclaimed decent success, selling about a few hundred copies.

The success of SynthAnimals lead Brown to form his own record company called Dalliance. In 1990, he came up with his self-published CD, ‘Perspective’. Unlike his previous release, his second album targeted the youth. It too sold a few hundred copies.

In 1991, Brown relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter and pianist. However, since his musical career was not shaping up the way he assumed it would, for a steady income and some financial help, he took to teaching Spanish at the Beverly Hills Preparatory School.

Brown joined the National Academy of Songwriters and participated in many of its events. He gained much help from Blythe Newlon, who went out of the way in order to help him by promoting his projects, writing press releases, setting up promotional events, and putting him in contact with the who’s who in the industry.

In 1993, he released the CD Dan Brown, which included songs such as ‘976-Love’ and ‘If You Believe in Love’. Same year, Brown returned to New Hampshire. To support himself, he took up the profession of teaching. He taught English to students at his alma mater Philips Exeter Academy, and Spanish to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at Lincoln Akerman School.

In 1994, Brown released his next venture, a CD titled ‘Angels & Demons’. ‘Here in These Fields’ and the religious ballad ‘All I Believe’ are two of the many compositions that the CD possess.

Writing Career

A chance reading of the novel ‘The Doomsday Conspiracy’ by Sidney Sheldon changed the course of Dan Brown’s life completely. Inspired by the simplicity of the prose and the efficiency with which the storyline was dealt with, Brown resorted to switching to a writing career.

To pursue writing professionally, Brown started working on ‘Digital Fortress’, his first thrilled-based novel. He centred it at Seville, a place where he had spent a year in 1985. He quit teaching in 1996. Two years henceforth, in 1998 ‘Digital Fortress’ was released.

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Meanwhile, Brown came up with two humor books as well, ‘187 Men to Avoid: A Guide for the Romantically Frustrated Woman’ and ‘The Bald Book’. While the former was published under the pseudonym ‘Danielle Brown’, the latter was officially credited to his wife.

Following years, i.e. in 2000 and 2001, Brown released his next two books, ‘Angels & Demons’ and ‘Deception Point’. It was in Angels & Demons that Brown first introduced the lead character of Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbology expert. Both his books did medium business, selling lesser than 10, 000 copies each.

It was Brown’s fourth novel that unleashed the success story of the author to never-experienced-before heights. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ not only outdid its predecessors, but went on to feature at the topmost position in the New York Times Best Seller list during its first week of release in 2003. It sold 81 million copies worldwide as of 2009.

Such was the feat of the novel that it pushed sales of Brown's earlier books as well. In 2004, all four of his books featured on the New York Times list in the same week.

Like ‘Angels & Demons’ and ‘The Da Vinci Code’, Robert Langdon was the central character for Brown’s next novel, ‘The Lost Symbol’. Published in 2009, the book sold over one million in hardcover and e-book versions in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, prompting the printing of 600,000 hardcover copies in addition to the five million first printing.

Released in 2013, ‘Inferno’ is the latest book from the camp of Dan Brown. Like its predecessors, the book also has Robert Langdon as the protagonist. ‘Inferno’ raced to the top spot at the book charts in the US and the UK, selling 580,000 copies in its first two weeks alone.

Humanitarian Works

Along with his siblings, Dan Brown has donated US$2.2 million to Phillips Exeter Academy in honor of their father, to set up the Richard G. Brown Technology Endowment to help provide computers and high-tech equipment for students in need. It was a homage paid to the 35 years of hard work and dedication that Richard G. Brown paid to the academy.

Brown and his wife Blythe have been actively involved in charitable works. They are active supporters of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Additionally, they have created the Dan /86 and Blythe Brown Scholarship Fund to celebrate his 25th reunion from Amherst College. It is a permanently endowed scholarship fund at the college whose income provides financial aid to students there, preferably those with an interest in writing.

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Major Works

‘Angels & Demons’ set the stage for the best to come from Dan Brown. It was the first novel that introduced the character of Robert Langdon, which was subsequently seen in the future works of Brown. The book became 2000’s bestselling mystery-thriller novel.

‘The Da Vinci Code’ is till date the bestselling book from the Brown camp. With over 81 million copies sold worldwide as of 2009, the book topped the New York Best Seller list in its first week of release itself. Brown is estimated to have earned about $250 million from this book itself.

‘The Lost Symbol’ replicated the success story of ‘The Da Vinci Code’, selling over one million in hardcover and e-book versions in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. It was number one on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction for the first six weeks of its release, and remained on the list for 29 weeks.

‘Inferno’ till date is the latest book released by Brown. It debuted as the bestselling book in the US and UK. In its first two weeks, the book had sold around 580,000 copies.

Awards & Achievements

Dan Brown was listed in the 100 most influential people of the year by the Time’s magazine in 2005. Same year, Forbes magazine placed Brown in their ‘Celebrity 100’ list.

Personal Life & Legacy

Brown’s relocation to Los Angeles in the year 1991 paid handsome results personally; as it was there that he met his lady love Blythe Newlon. Despite working in the position of Director of Artist Development for the National Academy of Songwriters, Newlon was instantly attracted to Brown who was 12 years his junior.

Blythe started helping Brown to promote his career using the power of her position. In 1993, when Brown moved back to New Hampshire, Newlon tagged along with him, thus proclaiming their love to the world for the first time.

The two tied the knot in 1997 at Pea Porridge Pond, near Conway, New Hampshire. Over the years, Newlon has been the pillar of strength and the backbone for Brown. She has assisted him in numerous projects, helping him in the research and like.

Facts About Dan Brown

Dan Brown was a pop singer and songwriter before becoming a bestselling author, releasing an album called "Angels & Demons" that was inspired by his book of the same name.

He is known for his love of codes and puzzles, which often feature prominently in his novels, such as "The Da Vinci Code."

Dan Brown is a dedicated collector of ancient artifacts and has an impressive personal collection that he has acquired over the years.

He is a firm believer in the power of storytelling to inspire and provoke thought, often incorporating moral and ethical dilemmas into his plots.

Dan Brown is fluent in several languages, including Spanish and French, which allows him to research and incorporate diverse cultural elements into his writing.

Dan Brown Biography

You wanted to know

Is Dan Brown still writing books?

Are Dan Brown's books based on real events?

Will there be a movie adaptation of Dan Brown's latest book?

What is Dan Brown's writing process like?

What is the symbolism behind the cover art of Dan Brown's books?