Author Spotlight
Dan Brown Shares the Books That Shaped His Life
Plus, discover the secrets behind his stories, his creative rituals, and more.
The Power of Myth by Joseph CampbellâŻ
âCampbellâs exploration of archetypes and mythological symbols helped inspire my lifelong interest in the shared codes of human storytelling, which now shape the symbolic scaffolding of my thrillers.â
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine LâEngleâŻ
âThis book sparked my childhood love of reading and opened my eyes to big ideasâblending science, philosophy, and cosmic symbolism in a way that awakened my fascination with hidden patterns and unseen forces.ââŻ
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
âShakespeareâs razor-sharp wordplay and layered dialogue instilled in me a deep appreciation for languageâs rhythm and subtext, enriching the way I approach both character and humour.ââŻ
The Bible
âA tapestry of symbols, paradoxes, and historical mysteries, the Bible stirred my instinct to question and decode the pastâan instinct that still fuels my narratives.â
The Bourne Identity by Robert LudlumâŻ
âLudlumâs mastery of intricate, international plots shaped my understanding of what a modern thriller could beâintelligent, relentlessly paced, and steeped in global consequence.â
Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas HofstadterâŻ
âA kaleidoscopic blend of logic, art, and music, this book captivated me as the son of a mathematician and a musician. It taught me that structure itself can carry philosophical meaningâjust like a well-constructed novel.â
The Hardy Boys Series by Franklin W. DixonâŻ
âThese mysteries fuelled my early passion for storytelling and thrillers, teaching me the pacing, suspense, and clue-driven narrative structure that would become core to my work as a novelist.â
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
âSteinbeckâs chapter openings are a master class in vivid, economical description. They taught me how to set atmosphere and emotional tone in just a few strokesâa skill every thriller needs.â
The Puzzle Palace by James BamfordâŻ
âBamfordâs exposĂ© of the NSA echoed my fascination with secrets, codes, and hidden power structuresâreal-world mysteries that still echo through my fiction.â
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. & E.B. WhiteâŻ
âThis timeless guide helped shape my writing and teaching. It reinforced my belief that understanding the rules of language is the first step toward bending them creatively.â
Whatâs your most unusual writing habit?
âI donât know how unusual it is, but I do have an antique hourglass on my desk and every hour when the sand runs out, I stop writing and do push-ups or sit-ups or stretch or something to keep the blood moving. Part of me believes you write a better thriller if your heart is pounding a bit.â
Whatâs the first thing you do after finishing a draft?
âThe first thing I do after finishing a draft is I rewrite it, and then I rewrite it again, and then probably I rewrite it again. I donât tend to show anything to my editor, Jason Kaufman, until I feel that it is no longer a draft, that Iâm entirely happy with it. Of course, fresh editorial eyes bring fresh perspective, and Jason will have all kinds of observations and ideas, which invariably means Iâll do some more rewriting before considering anything finished.â
Describe your writing process in one word?
âRevision.â
What is your favourite word to use in prose?
âWell, actually, my favourite word to write is two words: the end.â
What moment in your life felt straight out of a novel?
âWe were filming The Da Vinci Code inside the Louvre at about 3 a.m. We filmed while the tourists were gone. In between scenes, I took a walk through the barely lit museum and I found myself all alone in front of the Mona Lisa. If that werenât enough of a life moment, just then, outside in the Grand Gallery, an albino monk walked by.â
Whatâs the strangest thing youâve ever researched for a story?
âIâve researched some pretty unusual topics: Antimatter, Vatican secrets, the bloodline of Christ, factor viruses, artificial intelligence, and on and on. But I would have to say the strangest topic of all has to be what I just spent six years working on for The Secret of Secrets, and that is human consciousness. I began research of this book as a total skeptic about phenomena like out-of-body experiences, ESP, and precognition, but I have to say that Iâve come out the other side with a much different point of view.â
If your characters could critique you, what would they say?
âMy characters would probably tell me that I had just painstakingly edited their dialogue 37 times and ended up pretty much right where I started.â
New! The Secret of Secrets
In his most mind-bending case yet, Robert Langdon decodes a mystery at the edge of myth, memory, and love.