Professor Robert Langdon is a fictional character created by author Dan Brown for his Robert Langdon book series: Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), The Lost Symbol (2009), Inferno (2013) and Origin (2017).^[1] He is a Harvard University professor of history of art and 'symbology' (a fictional field related to the study of historic symbols, which is not methodologically connected to the actual discipline of semiotics).

The Robert Langdon films are a series of American action-adventure mystery-thriller movies based on the novels written by Dan Brown, they center around the fictional character of Robert Langdon. Though based on the book series, the films have a different chronological order.

Tom Hanks portrays Langdon in the Robert Langdon film series, starting with the 2006 film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, reprising the role in the 2009 film adaptation of Angels & Demons, and again in the 2016 film adaptation of Inferno.^[2]

1. The films, based on the novels written by Dan Brown, center around the fictional character of Robert Langdon. Though based on the book series, the films have a different chronological order, consisting of: The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009) and Inferno (2016). Despite negative critical reception, the film series as a whole has.
2. 1-16 of over 1,000 results for 'dan brown movies' Angels & Demons. 2009 MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parents. FREE Shipping on your first order shipped by Amazon.

Character development[edit]

Dan Brown created the character as a fictional alter ego of himself or 'the man he wishes he could be'. Brown himself was born June 22, 1964, in Exeter, New Hampshire, and the fictional Langdon is described as having been born on June 22, also in Exeter, and attending the same school as Brown did, Phillips Exeter Academy. Initially it is established that Langdon is a successful scholar who Brown named after John Langdon,^[3] a professor of typography at Drexel University who is known for his creation of ambigrams. An example of Langdon's ambigrams appeared on the cover of the first edition of Brown's novel Angels & Demons, and other ambigrams featured throughout that novel were also designed by Langdon. On the acknowledgments page, Brown calls Langdon 'one of the most ingenious and gifted artists alive … who rose brilliantly to my impossible challenge and created the ambigrams for this novel'. John Langdon also created the logo for the fictitious Depository Bank of Zurich, which appears in The Da Vinci Code film.

In an interview, Brown said that Joseph Campbell was an inspiration for the character of Langdon:

Storyline[edit]

Robert Langdon, born in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States, is described as looking like 'Harrison Ford in Harris tweed',^[5] with his standard attire being a turtleneck, Harris Tweed jacket, khakis, and collegiate cordovan loafers, which he wears in all instances, from lectures to social events.^[6] A frequently referred to accessory is his Mickey Mouse watch, a gift from his parents on his ninth birthday.^[7] He drives an automatic Saab 900S.^[8][9]

Langdon was a diver at Phillips Exeter Academy in prep school and played water polo at Princeton University where he went for college. He suffers from claustrophobia, as he fell into a well when he was 7 years old. His father died when he was 12, and his new mentor father-figure became Peter Solomon,^[10] Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.^[11]

Known for a brilliant problem-solving mind and his genius, Langdon has an eidetic memory. As professor at Harvard University, he teaches religious iconology and the fictional field of symbology. As a hobby it is specifically mentioned that Langdon is a great swimmer and swam laps (50) daily, a 'morning ritual,' at Harvard's athletic facilities (hence the lap swimming scene in Angels & Demons). Langdon also mentions he was raised a Catholic, but that he will never understand God; in A&D, he mentions to the Camerlengo that faith is a gift he has yet to receive.

Dan Brown Movies In Order Chronological

In the books, the events of The Da Vinci Code follow those of Angels & Demons; this was reversed in the movies, where the latter's adaptation is written to be the sequel to the former.^[12]

Angels & Demons[edit]

In Angels & Demons, Robert Langdon is called to CERN headquarters in Switzerland to find about the religious symbological implications of the death of CERN's finest and best-known physicist, Leonardo Vetra, a Catholic priest who has been branded with the Illuminati symbol. When he starts to investigate the murder, his obsession for the subject history comes into play. Langdon is later joined in the investigation by Vittoria Vetra (Leonardo's adopted daughter) and they start their journey to the Vatican to unlock the mystery behind the Illuminati, an anti-Catholic secret society which, according to the plot, has deeply infiltrated many global institutions, political, economical and religious. Langdon and Vetra solve the mystery of the Illuminati by following the Path of Illumination^[13] and in so doing explain the disappearances of four Cardinals during a papal conclave, the murder of Leonardo Vetra, and the theft of antimatter (a substance that can be used for mass destruction). At the end of the novel, Langdon ends up having a relationship with Vittoria Vetra. In the last few sentences of Angels & Demons, Vittoria Vetra asks him if he has ever had a divine experience. When he replies in the negative, Vittoria slips off her terrycloth robe, saying, 'You've never been to bed with a yoga master, have you?' Their relationship, however, is only referred to in The Da Vinci Code, mentioning the fact that Langdon had last seen Vittoria a year previously.

The Da Vinci Code[edit]

In the beginning of 2003's The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon is in Paris to give a lecture on his work. Having made an appointment to meet with Jacques Saunière, the curator of the Louvre, he is startled to find the French police at his hotel room door. They inform him that Saunière has been murdered and they would like his immediate assistance at the Louvre to help them solve the crime. Unknown to Langdon, he is in fact the prime suspect in the murder and has been summoned to the scene of the crime so that the police may extract a confession from him. While he is in the Louvre, he meets Sophie Neveu, a young cryptologist from the DCPJ. When Langdon and Sophie get the chance to talk in private, he finds out that Jacques Saunière is her grandfather. Saunière instructs Sophie to 'find Robert Langdon', according to the message he left for her in the floor. Hence, Sophie believes he is innocent of her grandfather's murder.

He spends the rest of the novel dodging the police and trying to solve the mystery of an ancient secret society, the Priory of Sion, which was once headed by Leonardo da Vinci. At the end of the novel, Langdon uncovers the mystery behind Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail also called Sangreal, derived from either the Spanish 'San Greal' (the Holy Grail), or the French 'Sang real' (royal blood).

The Lost Symbol[edit]

In The Lost Symbol, Robert Langdon has an adventure with the concepts of Freemasonry in Washington D.C. Tricked into visiting the nation's Capitol, Robert Langdon spends twelve hours racing through the monuments and buildings of the USA's forefathers, searching for the truth about the secret society of the Masons. Behind new doors lie secrets that promise to change the way people view science and politics, now threatened by Zachary Solomon, the renegade, estranged son of Robert Langdon's friend, Peter Solomon, who has himself been kidnapped by Zachary, now going by the name Mal'akh. Robert Langdon is the last line of defense. With help from Katherine Solomon (Peter's younger sister), Warren Bellamy (the Architect of the Capitol) and Inoue Sato (the director of the Office of Security).

Inferno[edit]

In Inferno, Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with no memory of the events that led him to be in Italy. Soon he realizes that someone is trying to kill him. Langdon travels from Florence to Venice, and Istanbul with Doctor Sienna Brooks to prevent a biological attack by looking for a deadly virus that was planted by a client of a shadowy consulting group called The Consortium. In the course of this, Langdon must decipher clues employing allusions to the works of Sandro Botticelli, Giorgio Vasari and Dante Alighieri, the writer of Inferno, the first chapter of the epic poem The Divine Comedy, around which much of the plot revolves.

Origin[edit]

The fifth book in the series, Origin was released on October 3, 2017.^[14] Robert Langdon arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening's host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon's first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.

As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch's precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch's secret.

Navigating the corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade an enemy whose power seems to emanate from Spain's Royal Palace itself, and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch's shocking discovery.^[14]

Bibliography[edit]

Between The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Inferno, Langdon is said to have written seven books:

• The Symbology of Secret Sects
• The Art of the Illuminati: Part 1
• The Lost Language of Ideograms
• Religious Iconology
• Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine
• Christian Symbols in the Muslim World
• Christianity and the Sacred Feminine

At that same point in the trilogy, Langdon is preparing the manuscript for his fifth book, to be titled Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine. It is later revealed in The Lost Symbol that Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine was published and created 'quite a scandal'. The book Christianity and the Sacred Feminine, mentioned in Origin had reportedly been denounced by the Vatican, 'which, in the aftermath, promptly became a bestseller,' as quoted by the AI assistant Winston.

References[edit]

1. ^'New Dan Brown novel 'Inferno' coming in May'. Yahoo!. Associated Press. January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
2. ^Gregg Kilday. 'Tom Hanks' 'Inferno' Shifts Opening to 2016'. The Hollywood Reporter.
3. ^Naughton, Philippe (March 13, 2006). 'Dan Brown sprinkles statement with clues about next book'. The Sunday Times. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
4. ^'Dan Brown: By the Book'. The New York Times. June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
5. ^'Robert Langdon Biography (Fictional Adventurer) —'. Infoplease.com. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
6. ^TLS, p. 8
7. ^TLS, p. 25
8. ^A&D, p. 26
9. ^DVC, p. 227
10. ^TLS, p. 7
11. ^TLS, p. 15
12. ^Ian Freer (May 2009). 'Critical Mass'. Empire. pp. 69–73.
13. ^Brown, Dan (2000). Angels & Demons. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 5. ISBN978-0-7434-1239-1.
14. ^ ^ab'Origin'. Danbrown.com.

External links[edit]

• Bos, Carole (May 1, 2009). 'Angels & Demons - ROBERT LANGDON and HIS AMBIGRAMS'. AwesomeStories.com. Page 2 of 8.

Contents

Dan Brown is an author who for most of us doesn’t need an introduction. The Dan Brown books for his Robert Langdon series have sold millions of dollars all over the years, making the author one of the highest-paid authors ever. In fact, in 2018 he was the fifth highest-paid author after James Patterson, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and John Grisham. The Da Vinci Code is known even by people who haven’t touched a book in decades due to the movie featuring Tom Hanks.

For anyone who hasn’t read the entire Robert Langdon series, here is the order of the Dan Brown books.

Robert Langdon Series

1. Angels And Demons (Robert Langdon #1), 2000
2. The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon #2), 2003
3. The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon #3), 2009
4. Inferno (Robert Langdon #4), 2013
5. Origin (Robert Langdon #5), 2015

Other Dan Brown Books

• Digital Fortress, 1998
• Deception Point, 2002

Dan Brown Books Summaries

Reading the Dan Brown books in order for his Robert Langdon series is not necessary, as each story is independent from the other. However, as many of us, thriller book readers enjoy reading our series in order, I do recommend picking them starting from Angels & Demons. If you have already read The Da Vinci Code, you can always go back and read the first Robert Langdon book now.

Angels and Demons

Robert Langdon is a world-known symbologist who is asked to go to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol that was burned into the chest of a physicist that was recently murdered. His research uncovers a conspiracy against the Catholic Church by an ancient organization, the famous Illuminati. To save the church, Robert has to work together with Vittoria Vetra, an Italian scientist who helps him find his way into the Illuminati’s secret vault.

The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown’s most famous book to date, The Da Vinci Code features once again Robert Langdon, this time in Paris. Another body has been found, yet again carved with ancient symbols, and Robert is the only one who can find out what they mean. This time, he works with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, and together they follow a strange trail of clues leading to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. And once again, we meet another secret society, this time Priory of Sion, which had as a member not only the dead curator but also famous people like Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci himself.

The Lost Symbol

Now Robert Langdon is back in the U.S., giving an evening lecture at the Capitol Building. During the presentation, a strange artifact is discovered in the building, one that has five strange symbols on it. Robert Langdon, being a symbologist by trade, is asked to help translate. Shortly after, however, Langdon’s mentor, Peter Solomon, so Robert now has to really devote his time to the symbols inscribed on the artifact to find his way to Peter to save him. The whole story coveres only 24 hours, but what action-packed hours those are!

Inferno

In Inferno, Robert Langdon finds himself back in Italy. This time, however, he wakes up in a hospital with no recollection of his last 36 hours. Within his items, however, he discovers a strange item, and connected to it he discovers that a ruthless assassin is after him. Now he has doctor Sienna Brooks as ally, and together they not only try to flee the assassin but also to put the pieces of the puzzle together before it’s too late. As usual with the Dan Brown books, the story takes place within a day, so the action is non-stop.

Origin

Origin, the latest offering by Dan Brown, finds Robert Langdon, our favorite symbologist at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. He is attending a major announcement of a discovery that is supposed to change the future forever. The presentation held by Edmond Kirsch, a billionaire and former student of Langdon, reveals two things so strange and Earth-shattering that they could, indeed, change the course of history of humankind. When during the presentation chaos starts, the discovery is in grave danger of being forever lost. Now Robert Langdon, accompanied by the museum director Ambra Vidal, who used to work with Kirsch, are not only fleeing from danger from Bilbao, but also trying to stop all those who want to silence the voice and legacy of Edmund Kirsch forever.

Digital Fortress

The book that started Dan Brown’s writing career. Susan Fletcher is a cryptographer for the NSA. They ask her for help when they encounter a code they cannot break. She soon discovers that the unbreakable code holds the entire NSA hostage in a way that it could cripple the U.S. Intelligence for good if is not stopped in time before it’s released.

Deception Point

Deception Point takes us to the Arctic ice where NASA satellites have discovered a strange rare object buried deep in the ice. The discovery, if revealed, could have major implications for the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, however, The White House first needs to make sure the discovery is not a dud. So they send intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton on site along with a team of experts to investigate. However, what awaits them there is something else entirely. Not only assassins are now chasing them but the discovery itself could bring the whole world into chaos if revealed.

Dan Brown Biography

The author Dan Brown was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1964. He was the eldest of three children. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, and as his father was a mathematics professor, and writer of textbooks at that very school, Dan spent quite a lot of time at the school campus where he was singing in the church choir and attended church camp. His mother served as leader of a church choir In an interview he mentioned that he felt he grew up at that very campus, being so much there.

Following high school graduation in 1982, he attended Amherst (Massachusetts) College, from where he graduated in 1986 with a degree in English and Spanish. After college, he wanted to pursue a career in music, so he moved to California to become a song writer and pianist. During this time, he also taught Spanish at Beverly Hills Preparatory School to pay the bills. This is where he met his wife, Blythe Newlon, who was 12 years older than he was.

His music career never really took off, so he decided to dabble in writing. He wrote his debut book in 1987, which he titled 187 Men to Avoid. The book, co-authored with his wife Blythe Newlon, was a women’s dating survival guide for those who want to find Mr. Right, and it was published in 1995 under the pen name Danielle Brown.

In 1993, when he completely gave up the idea of a career in music, Dan Brown returned to Exeter faculty to teach English and creative writing. This is the very school that sparked the inspiration for the first Dan Brown book, Digital Fortress. It happened after the US Secret Service made a visit to the school to talk to a student who, in an email, made a joke about killing the president.

This incident made an impact on the author, as he began becoming interested in covert intelligent agencies, clandestine organizations, and code breakers. Two years later, Angels and Demons was published, which became the first Robert Langdon book. Each of the next Dan Brown books had some secrets, clandestine organizations, and politics involved in one way or another.

Also, the book that made an impact on Dan was Sidney Sheldon’s Doomsday Conspiracy. After reading this book, he thought he could write like this as well, and the rest is history.

Dan Brown became a full-time author in 1996. He married Blythe the next year, in 1997, and in 1998, the first Dan Brown book, Digital Fortress, was published.

The book that really made Dan Brown famous was the Da Vinci Code. It sold 6,000 copies on the very first day it was released. During the first week of publication, it climbed to the top of New York Times Bestseller List. The book soon became the fastest-selling adult novel ever with around 40 million copies sold.

In 2004, Dan Brown and his siblings, Valerie and Gregory, established Richard G. Brown Technology Endowment, donating $2.2 million to the Phillips Exeter Academy. This was a way for them to honor their father who taught at the academy for 25 years. The money would provide computers and other high-tech equipment to students in need. The author’s father, Richard Brown, taught there until 1997 when he retired. Over the years, he wrote a textbook Advanced Mathematics: Precalculus With Discrete Mathematics and Data Analysis, which is still used for teaching advanced mathematics. In 1989, Richard Brown was awarded by President George H.W. Bush the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching

By early 2006, Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code, earned the author close to $200,000. The same year, Random House, the author’s publishing house, was battling a copyright infringement case started by authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh who sued Random House. They said that Dan Brown stole their ideas for The Da Vinci Code from their book Holy Blood Holy Grail, which was published back in 1982 and took the authors five years to write. Random House won that case when a high court judge rejected the claim.

Incidentally, it was also 2006 when The Da Vinci Code was released at the cinema, as a bestselling movie featuring Tom Hanks, directed by Ron Howard. Dan Brown was credited with being the executive producer and scriptwriter.

Especially after the movie was out, it garnered a lot of attention, most of it good, but also some bad. Many religious institutes, especially the Catholic Church called it “Anti Christian.”

Is The Da Vinci Code a true story? Dan Brown mentioned that 99% is true in terms of historical information included, even though the actual story involving Dan Brown is fiction. At the beginning of the book, the author added a section titled Facts, where he describes what is real within the pages.

Dan Brown himself wrote the following about what is true in his book:

Dan Brown Movies In Order List

99 percent of it is true. All of the architecture, the art, the secret rituals, the history, all of that is true, the Gnostic gospels. All of that is … all that is fiction, of course, is that there’s a Harvard symbologist named Robert Langdon, and all of his action is fictionalized. But the background is all true.

The Lost Symbol, the third Robert Langdon book, was released three years later, in 2009. While Angels and Demons (2009), The Da Vinci Code (2006), and Inferno (2016) were made into movies, The Lost Symbol will become a TV series with the tentative title Langdon. It is set to air in 2020.

What is Dan Brown’s new book called? The latest book written by Dan Brown is called Origin, published in 2015. Since there are usually 3-5 years between the Dan Brown books’ releases, we should expect a new novel by the author any time soon now.

In addition to writing books, Dan Brown is also teaching writing thrillers. He has a masterclass on this very topic, which is used by many new and upcoming writers who want to learn how to write books better.

Praise for the Dan Brown Books

An unholy mixture of cheese and corn, with all the twists and turns of a 12-inch ruler. Yet is wonderfully addictive. (Daily Telegraph for The Da Vinci Code)

Dan Brown has to be one of the best, smartest, and most accomplished writers in the country. THE DA VINCI CODE is many notches above the intelligent thriller; this is pure genius. (Nelson DeMille)

Dan Brown is my new must-read. THE DA VINCI CODE is fascinating and absorbing — perfect for history buffs, conspiracy nuts, puzzle lovers or anyone who appreciates a great, riveting story. I loved this book. (Harlan Coben)

The Da Vinci Code sets the hook-of-all-hooks, and takes off down a road that is as eye-opening as it is page-turning. You simply cannot put this book down. Thriller readers everywhere will soon realize Dan Brown is a master. (Vince Flynn)

I would never have believed that this is my kind of thriller, but I’m going to tell you something–the more I read, the more I had to read. In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has built a world that is rich in fascinating detail, and I could not get enough of it. Mr. Brown, I am your fan. (Robert Crais)

Angels and Demons is one hell of a book — I had a hard time putting it down and I didn’t get any work done until I finished it. Congratulations to Dan Brown for crafting an intriguing, imaginative, and very suspenseful read. (Dale Brown)

A brisk new book that pits creationism against science, and is liable to stir up as much controversy as The Da Vinci Code did. In Origin, the brash futurist Edmond Kirsch comes up with a theory so bold, so daring that, as he modestly thinks to himself in Brown’s beloved italics, “It will not shake your foundations. It will shatter them.” Kirsch is of course addressing The World, because that’s the scale on which Brown writes. Brown and serious ideas: they do fit together, never more than they have in Origin. (Janet Maslin)

References

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Dan Brown Movies In Order List