Attention-shy writer Dan Brown completed three days of tough courtroom scrutiny on Wednesday, acknowledging that he reworked other writers' material but rejecting claims he copied two authors' work for his mega-selling thriller The Da Vinci Code.
Appearing as a witness for publisher Random House, Brown appeared increasingly tired during lengthy cross-examination that dwelled on the details of his research process and minutiae such as whether the word "savior" should be spelled with a "u."
Copyright
Writers Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh are suing Random House, Brown's publisher, for copyright infringement at London's High Court, claiming The Da Vinci Code "appropriated the architecture" of their 1982 nonfiction work. Both books explore theories -- dismissed by theologians -- that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, the couple had a child and the bloodline survives.
At one point, Rayner James asked Brown about the description in both books of Jesus as a "mortal prophet."
"Mortal prophet is two words," said Brown. "The entire religion of Islam views Jesus as a mortal prophet. It's hardly unique to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail."
"We're not saying you can't use those words," Rayner James acknowledged.
"Can they be in the film?" quipped the judge, Peter Smith.
If Baigent and Leigh succeed in securing an injunction to bar the use of their material, they could hold up the scheduled May 19 film release of The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou.
Brown has acknowledged that he and his wife Blythe Brown read The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail while researching The Da Vinci Code, but said they also used 38 other books and hundreds of documents, and that the British authors' book was not crucial to their work.
Brown testified on Tuesday that he was certain he and his wife, who conducts much of his research, had read Baigent and Leigh's book only after he had submitted his synopsis for the novel that would become The Da Vinci Code to his agent in January 2001.
Asked about passages from The Da Vinci Code that were similar to those in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, Brown acknowledged "reworking of the passage -- that's how you incorporate research into a novel."
But he denied copying. Asked about a description of the Roman emperor Constantine on his deathbed that appears, differently worded, in both books, Brown said: "I'm not crazy about the word `copied.'"
"Copying implies it is identical," he added. "It's not identical."
Literary superstar
The Da Vinci Code has sold more than 40 million copies since its release three years ago, and has turned Brown from a hardworking, modestly successful novelist into a literary superstar who tries to avoid the public spotlight.
Brown, who has traveled from his New Hampshire home to give evidence in the case, often appeared bemused by Rayner James' questioning. He buried his head in a hand when discussion turned to whether he had used a document that spelled the word "savior" with a telltale British "u" -- a sign, Rayner James, said, that it came from Baigent and Leigh's book.
The attorney reminded him at one point: "You are not the defendant in the proceedings."
"Now you tell me," joked Brown.
Earlier, Patrick Janson-Smith, who was involved with both books as former publisher of Transworld, a division of Random House, took the stand briefly to support his former employer.
In a witness statement, Janson-Smith said he "saw similarities" between the two books, but no evidence of copying.
"The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail purports to be nonfiction; The Da Vinci Code is a thriller," he said. "I thought the latter was a romping piece of good fiction. Like any thriller, no doubt it took ideas from any number of sources."
Janson-Smith said his reaction to news of Baigent and Leigh's lawsuit was: "Why the fuss? They wouldn't stand a prayer."
"I didn't think Baigent and Leigh had a leg to stand on and that they were in danger of making fools of themselves," his statement said.
The third author of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, Henry Lincoln, is not involved in the case. A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Paul Sutton, refused to say why he was not participating. Lincoln, who is in his 70s and reportedly in poor health, could not be reached for comment.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique