Istanbul the scene of new novel

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Dan Brown’s highly anticipated new thriller “Inferno” was released yesterday. The book has featured on the front pages of many Turkish newspapers as a significant portion of the novel is set in Istanbul. The book has been published in 12 countries.

The story begins in Florence and then moves to Sienna. Later on, the novel’s mysterious events lead the characters to Istanbul, where the plot continues to unfold. The hero of the book, Robert Langdon, makes an important discovery in the Hagia Sophia museum. Earlier, two cover designs for the forthcoming book for the U.S. and UK editions had been also revealed, both featuring images of the Italian poet Dante. Brown was reportedly inspired by Dante’s epic poem “Inferno,” which was written in the 14th century.

“Inferno” features the return of renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, and centers on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces.

In his international blockbusters “The Da Vinci Code,” “Angels & Demons,” and “The Lost Symbol,” Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.

Brown released the book’s title on his website on January 15, 2013, after prompting readers to help reveal a digital mosaic using social media posts, and revealed the cover in late February of 2013. The cover depicts the famous Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore located in Florence, Italy. He also published a sneak preview of Inferno along with a free ebook of The Da Vinci Code on March 17. The ebook was distributed to readers worldwide through online e-book stores like Amazon and Barnes & Noble for free till March 24, 2013.

Inferno has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian and Danish for simultaneous release. The publishers hired a team of 11 translators who worked on the project at the headquarters of Mondadori in Milan between February and April 2012. They were reportedly sequestered in a basement, and worked intensively under strict security and secrecy.