Dan Brown, author of the famous novel The Da Vinci Code, which has sold more than 80 million copies, revealed that he lives in Costa Rica for six months of the year. In an interview with El País, on the occasion of the release of his latest book, Brown explained the two reasons that led him and his partner, a Dutch horse trainer, to choose Costa Rica: the climate and its people.
“I went for the climate. I stayed for the warmth of the people. I searched all over the world: southern Spain, southern France, and I always found the same type of people who said, ‘I have more Maseratis than you.’
“I don’t have Maseratis, nor am I interested in those kinds of competitions. That doesn’t happen in Costa Rica,” he told the journalist, who asked him what he attributed that to. The author, whose masterpiece became hugely popular when it was adapted for the cinema, was asked if he swims regularly, like Robert Langdon, the character in his book.
“Here (in the United States) the ocean is very cold and there are sharks. I swim in Costa Rica, where we live for half the year,” he replied.
Brown’s new mystery novel, The Secret of Secrets, was released a few days ago in 16 languages simultaneously. With more than 800 pages, the book marks Brown’s return eight years after his previous work, Origin. He described it as “the most ambitious and intricately plotted novel I have written to date.”
The book is the sixth installment in the adventures of Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor and expert in esoteric symbols. This time, the story unfolds in Prague and centers on an “explosive essay on the nature of human consciousness that could transform centuries of established beliefs,” according to French publisher JC Lattès.
Now 61, Brown has planned a month-long promotional tour covering 12 countries. After two little-noticed early novels, the American author, then a discreet high school teacher, published The Da Vinci Code in 2003, one of the biggest bestsellers in history.
With its complex plot, the book earned him millions of fans but also drew criticism from experts. Brown is now among the many celebrities who have found a second home in Costa Rica. Like countless visitors, he highlights the warmth of Costa Ricans as something unique, an openness that captivates and makes foreigners feel welcome
