London - Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, told a London court Monday he had a 'passion for codes' but rejected as 'completely fanciful' accusations that he 'stole the plot' for his bestselling novel.
Dan Brown, author of 'The Da-Vinci Code' arrives at the High Court in London UK 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
The 41-year-old American, who is known to be publicity-shy, spoke for the first time as a witness in the two-week trial involving his book and said he was 'astounded' by the accusations.
Giving a rare insight into his thinking and motivation to write, Brown said he inherited his love for codes from his father, a mathematics academic.
'For me, codes and treasure hunts have always been a passion,' he said in a witness statement to the High Court in London.
'For them (the claimants) to suggest, as I understand they do, that I have 'hijacked and exploited' their work is simply untrue.'
Brown, in a beige poloneck sweater and tweed jacket, has been accused by historians Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent of lifting the plot for his novel from their 1982 non-fiction work The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail.
But the multi-millionaire author is not himself charged in the law suit, brought by the two historians against Random House, the publisher of both books.
'I have been shocked at their reaction. Furthermore I do not really understand it,' Brown said.
Both books explore a theory that Jesus did not die on the cross but survived and had children with Mary Magdalene, and that their descendents survive.
Brown, whose novel has sold more than 40 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages, said the claimants were 'only two of a number of authors' who had 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,' Brown went on.
Brown said he read The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail before writing his bestseller. 'But the fact remains that my sources for the ideas which I am alleged to have copied did not include The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail,' he said.
Brown told the court he grew up on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, in the US, where his father was a teacher and where he graduated and spent time teaching English before turning to writing full time.
He said the school had a strong tradition of writing, with alumni including John Irving, Gore Vidal, Daniel Webster and Peter Benchley.
'It is also known for the strictness of its regulations and code of conduct, especially with respect to plagiarism.'
Brown said he viewed creative writing as 'a discipline' that that required constant practice and honing of skills.
'For this reason, I write seven days a week. So my routine begins at around 4 a.m. every morning, when there are no distractions.'
His favourite themes - which are included in his four novels to date - are codes and treasure hunts, with the Holy Grail being the quest in The Da Vinci Code.
He said his love of codes was inherited from his father, and he would spend hours when he was a child working out anagrams and crossword puzzles.
Instead of receiving presents at Christmas, his parents would leave a treasure map with clues which, if properly solved, would lead to a secret location in the house or even around the town where they lived.
'It was wonderful fun - for me codes and treasure hunts have always been a passion.'
The trial, which has seen sales of both books soaring, continues.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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