Dan Brown 'astounded' at plagiarism claim

Author Dan Brown said yesterday he was "astounded" at allegations by two historians that he copied their work wholesale when writing his best-selling religious thriller The Da Vinci Code.

In a statement released after he took the witness stand, the 41-year-old pointed out that he had credited the work of Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh in his novel.

"I would like to restate that I remain astounded by the claimants' choice to file this plagiarism suit," he said.

"For them to suggest, as I understand they do, that I have hijacked and exploited their work is simply untrue."

The two historians, who have already given evidence, are suing Mr Brown's British publisher Random House, which also publishes their own 1982 work of historical conjecture, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.

Both books deal with the theme of Jesus marrying and having a child by Mary Magdalene and their bloodline being protected by the mysterious Priory of Sion, a theory that has been greeted with outrage by some Catholic leaders.

But Random House's lawyers say the ideas are too general to protect by copyright, there are many differences between the two books and Mr Brown drew on a number of sources.

The US author was asked during cross-examination about his working practices and those of his wife Blythe, who helped him research some of his books, including The Da Vinci Code.

She emerged as a key source both of his research and his ideas, carrying out groundwork for The Da Vinci Code while Mr Brown completed the novel Deception Point.

"In that period, when I was finishing Deception Point, she was probably amassing information for another book, information that's going to be dumped on me shortly thereafter," Mr Brown told a courtroom packed with reporters from around the world.

Wearing a yellow tie, blue shirt and blue jacket, the millionaire author appeared to tire towards the end of a gruelling day of questioning.

Mr Brown said in his statement: "Messieurs Baigent and Leigh are only two of a number of authors who have written about the bloodline story and yet I went out of my way to mention them for being the ones who brought the theory to mainstream attention."

In the novel, one of Mr Brown's main characters is named Leigh Teabing - an anagram of "Baigent" - and he refers directly to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail in the narrative.

Mr Brown's 69-page witness statement described how he and Blythe struggled to make ends meet during his early days as a writer, and how he composed the main synopsis of The Da Vinci Code in a cramped laundry room in his parents' house.

He said he woke at 4 a.m. everyday.

"In addition to starting early, I keep an antique hourglass on my desk and every hour break briefly to do push-ups, sit-ups, and some quick stretches. I find this helps keep the blood (and ideas) flowing."

The publicity-shy author referred to the drawbacks of fame, and explained in a separate statement why he did not want Blythe to appear in court.

"Since publication of The Da Vinci Code, I have been subjected to many instances of harrassment," he said. "I did not want my wife to be troubled by it... I have been thoroughly jostled by the press and my wife would have hated it."

With an estimated 40 million copies of The Da Vinci Code sold worldwide, and the potential for an important copyright precedent to be set, the stakes are high at London's High Court.

But the proceedings are not expected to affect a major Hollywood adaptation of the book starring Tom Hanks, which is due for release in May.

Judge Peter Smith said Mr Brown was due to finish giving evidence tomorrow and for the case to end on Monday. It could be weeks before he delivers his judgment.