DAN BROWN, the author of The 30 million copy bestseller, the Da Vinci Code, was challenged in the UK High Court on February 28, by two authors who allege that he based his work on their research.
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh published The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail back in 1982. Their book is a piece of non-fiction that seriously deals with theories that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a child, and that the blood line continues to this day while the Catholic Church tries to suppress the facts.
The case threatens the UK opening of the film scheduled for 19 May.
Brown actually refers to the earlier book in his novel. The Also one theory suggests that the name of one of the central characters - UK Grail expert, Sir Leigh Teabing, is a hint to the plaintiffs.
Many creative works are inspired by earlier pieces of course. West Side Story is more than a little reminiscent of Romeo and Juliette, for example. Cecil B. Mills based his epic films on a best selling literary work and Fiddler on the roof seems to have been inspired by Shalom Aleichem’s Tevyeh the Milkman.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, but don’t think I’d go and see a film version. Having said that, I took my daughter to see the Narnia film last Friday, and rather enjoyed it myself.
Some Christians see the sacrifice and rebirth of Aslan as an alegory for Jesus, and C.S. Lewis certainly had christian beliefs. Personally, I enjoyed the Screwtape Letters, which seem to me to be excellent Mussar. I am not really into the Christian stuff, myself. ET is supposed to be an allegory for Jesus as well, but Spielberg’s not exactly Christian either, but I digress.
Personally, I expect Brown to be acquitted. Since both the Da Vinci Code and The Holy Blood & the Holy Grail are both published by Random House, one wonders if the whole thing isn’t simply a publicity stunt to boost sales and promote the film.
Anyway, Brown won a court ruling in New York against Louis Perdue last year, who claimed that the Da Vinci Code had copied elements of his books, Daughter of God and The Da Vinci Legacy.
Rowling’s thoroughly readable Harry Potter series, is, of course, based, in part, on Buckeridge’s Jennings series. The Ordinary Wizarding Levels seemed more than slightly reminiscent of G. C. E. Ordinary Level Examinations, and no doubt, the UK High School Examining Authorities, not being familiar with satire, have considered suing her for plagiarism as well.
Still no point in suing less successful authors is there?
i READ BOTH BOOKS. I FEEL THAT BROWN DIFFINETLY FOLLOWED PURDUES BOOK.
ACTUALLY I FOUND PERDUES BOOK MUCH MORE
INTERESTING.