Did Dan Brown plagiarise The Da Vinci Code?
I know it's an old story, but bear with me ...
Are you one of the 80 million or so folks that bought a copy of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code? I confess to adding it as my third book in a charity shop 3 for 2 offer, so I don't think I'm included in that number.
Nevertheless, while recovering from knee surgery this time last year, I read his novel. Although panned by many critics and the intelligentsia, it is every bit the page turner you'd expect from a book which has sold in such vast quantities.
I've also read the slightly less pacey, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (HBHG), a non-fiction book published in 1982 which also raises the possibility that Mary Magdalene had a child by Jesus.
The authors of that book sued Dan Brown for plagiarism, citing that Brown had copied "a substantial part of the work to produce an altered copy or a colourable imitation."
Broadly, their case was not that Dan Brown had copied their text, but rather, he had copied their ideas. Thankfully, they lost their case, although it's undeniable that Brown was familiar with their work; he used an anagram of two of the authors' names for his character Leigh Teabing, who at one point in the book removes a copy of HBHG from a shelf and says: "The authors made some dubious leaps of faith in their analysis, but their fundamental premise is sound."*
There are a limited number of story archetypes. Masterclass.com argues that there are seven, others suggest nine, the theorising is extensive, but one thing is true, authors relentlessly 'borrow', which brings me to my point.
When I read HBHG, long before The Da Vinci Code was written, it prompted ideas for my own book on the possibility of a continuation of Jesus' lineage. I still intend to write it, although it's a long way off. I've got as far as toying with working titles such as The Gospel Truth or The Gospel According to Mary, but given that there are over 80 million copies of The Da Vinci Code out there and Dan Brown's still bashing away at a keyboard, it might be a while before I have a crack.
That said, I recently read a story, The Ball, which one of the writers in a group I attend presented for review. It's an account of a true event that occurred during his youth, which he felt compelled to relate faithfully. It's an extraordinary story despite the lack of embellishment of which we authors are so often guilty. We did encourage him to bend reality, but he remained adamant about his adherence to truth.
Unencumbered by such self-imposed constraints, his story led me to ponder where my writing would take me in a similar situation, so I borrowed elements, including the title, but placed the setting in rural Ngāruawāhia, New Zealand. It's a different story, but one that I would not have dredged without my fellow writer, Jack Diamond, planting the seed, and I'm grateful for the inspiration. If you fancy reading my version, you can click on the cover below to get hold of a copy.
It's also available as part of a wider fiction giveaway. If you're looking for something new to read, BookFunnel is offering a range of free titles until 26 October, just click here to find out more.
To finish, I should add that having appropriated Jack's idea, I'd like to offer him thanks for not taking umbrage, and also for agreeing to let me share this with a wider audience.
Thanks too must go to all the other story-tellers that have gone before. May their words continue to inspire the stories of tomorrow.
That's it from me, cheerio for now
Craig
* If you want to read more about the lawsuit, you can find the summary of the case which I drew upon here.
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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury. To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com
Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Twitter/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2025
30 September 2025
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