London - US best-selling author Dan Brown, known to be a desperately shy and reclusive man, was predictably uncomfortable in the witness box of a London court room this week as well-briefed judges and lawyers tried to discover the secrets of The Da Vinci Code.
Dan Brown, author of 'The Da-Vinci Code' arrives at the High Court in London UK on 27th February 2006. Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent are suing him for Plagiarism. They claim his book contains items from their book 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'. EPA/Lindsey Parnaby
Brown, 41, who rarely ventures outside his home in Rye, in the US state of New Hampshire, was at times clearly irritated by the remorseless cross-examination about his working methods - in full view of the world media.
While the world's highest-paid author most days managed to avoid photographers outside court, evading clear answers in room 61 at London's High Court did not prove so easy.
'I'm trying hard to answer what you're asking me,' a clearly- irritated Brown told Judge Peter Smith this week. At another point, he snapped, 'I'm doing the best I can.'
The author, though not himself charged, is at the centre of a law suit brought by historians Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh against Random House, the publisher of both books.
They claim that the plot for The Da Vinci Code, referred to in court as DVC, has been stolen from their 1982 book, The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail (HBHG).
Brown has denied as 'false and fanciful' the suggestion that he took at least 15 core ideas from the non-fiction work.
Both books touch on the hypothesis that Jesus survived the Crucifixion, married Mary Magdalene and had children whose descendants are alive today.
Brown has admitted that HBHG was 'among the many books' he read in his research for DVC, but stressed that he only owned a copy of HBHG after he had sent his synopsis for DVC off to the publishers in Jaunary, 2001.
Challenging the author over exactly when he read HBHG, Judge Smith enquired, 'Are you asking me to believe that you did not read it?'
'If I had read it, I would have included it in the bibliography because I would have been eager to impress my publisher and share this knowledge,' came the reply from Brown.
Why then, demanded QC Jonathan Rayner James, representing the HBFG authors, was his clients' book the most heavily marked of all the books used in Brown's research?
Brown agreed there were many annotations by his wife, Blythe, who helps him research his novels.
'I am not sure I had ever seen Blythe as passionate about anything as she became for the historical figure of Mary Magdalene,' Brown said.
He himself had been 'stunned' to discover in his research that Mary Magdalene 'was not in fact a prostitute, as I had been taught in Sunday School.'
The London trial, apart from giving a fascinating insight into the mindset of one of the world's most successful authors, has given a huge sale boost to both DVC and HBHG.
The stakes in the trial, whose costs are estimated at 2 million pounds (3.5 million dollars) remain high.
Should the court agree with the contention of the claimants, DVC could be withdrawn from sale and the launch of its Hollywood film version in May delayed.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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