OLEAN -- And now, for a bit of bragging.
Just as predicted in this column last month, Dan Brown -- author of the mega-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" -- is off the hook in the important copyright infringement trial aimed at him in London's High Court.
The High Court judge, the Honourable Peter Smith, ruled in favor of Brown and his publisher Random House, and against historians Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent, who claimed Brown had "appropriated the architecture" and main theme of their 1982 non-fiction religion book "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" (titled "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" in the United States), and that Brown had lifted parts of their text. A third author of the previous book, Henry Lincoln, refused to participate in the lawsuit.
At issue was whether Brown had purloined for "The Da Vinci Code" the startling idea that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene had married, fled the Holy Land for France, had children, and started the Merovingian dynasty of Frankish kings who ruled big sections of Germany and France for the better part of four centuries -- descendants of whom may still exist.
High Court Justice Smith (I mistakenly called him Jones in the previous column, and apologize) ruled that the plaintiffs didn't even use that claim as the central theme of their book, and that it was merely an expression of a number of ideas "at a very general level." The judicial decision leaves relieved historical novelists free to do what they legally have always done -- use various historical reference books as research sources on which to base their fiction. Brown used at least 27 such books in researching his celebrated novel, which has sold more than 43 million hardcover copies worldwide. Baigent and Leigh were even denied the right to appeal, as can happen under English judicial practice.
Your faithful scribe still suspects this was all a put-up beef designed for the intense publicity it produced. Random House imprints published both books at issue, and both Brown and Baigent had books released the day the trial ended: Brown's the paperback version of "The Da Vinci Code," which had already sold millions, and Baigent's "The Jesus Papers," also expected to sell like hotcakes. Other profitable religion thrillers are churning off the presses, and a $125 million Sony Pictures film version of "The Da Vinci Code" will now be released in this country May 19. Timing is everything in the publicity business.
The Honourable Justice Smith ruled the losing Leigh and Baigent responsible for 85 percent of defendant Random House's $1.7 million-plus court costs. It will be interesting to see who actually pays that bill, the first $600,000 of which is due by the end of April. My guess? Random House does.
Speaking of suspiciously fortuitous timing involving religious discoveries, how about the stunning news late last week that an ancient gospel concerning the great betrayer Judas has been found in an Egyptian cave and interpreted by religion scholars in a manner that pretty much exonerates the man we are told sold Jesus Christ down the river for 30 pieces of silver?
Just in time for Easter, eh? Just in time to cheese off Christians all over the world on the eve of their faith's most important observance. Just in time for the National Geographic Society, which late last week released the alleged translation of the 13 crumbling sheets of papyrus bound in deteriorating leather to tout its own special TV documentary show concerning the new "Gospel of Judas" on its own channel on Palm Sunday.
The translation of the restored ancient manuscript -- released by National Geographic at a briefing last week -- holds that Jesus imparted secret instructions to Judas Iscariot, basically ordering him to turn Jesus over to Roman authorities and almost certain death. This alleged "gospel" would have Christians believe Christ held Judas in high enough regard that he revealed his divinity to just this one disciple, and knew he could count on his betrayal in furtherance of the divine plan and sacrifice on the cross.
So, now we are to believe Judas acted not out of greed or malice or inherent evil, and not for any of his own purposes. He was merely following divine orders from his beloved master. This obviously contradicts the Bible, and is being denounced as anathema by numerous Christians, conservative and liberal alike. But it is reflective of new interest in the historical Jesus, and surely will spawn interest in and debate over what Christ and other biblical figures were really like -- just in time for Easter worship.
Can variously lucrative novels, magazine articles, lectures, non-fiction books, alleged histories, movies and TV specials be far behind? The alleged manuscript was dug up by an Egyptian farmer in 1978 and passed through several owners. The National Geographic Society learned of it just short of three years ago. And now we are hearing of it just before Easter Week.
See? Timing is everything.
On another subject: Columnists usually try to show nonchalance, but it's always nice to see one's views followed upon by significant legislation. Previous columns in this space decrying the widespread, despicable and often illegal slaughter of American horses for profitable -- if unhealthy -- foreign consumption apparently did not fall on deaf ears.
The columns drew intense reader support and now our own state Sen. George Maziarz has responded. Two weeks ago, Maziarz introduced with colleagues Senate Bill 1788, legislation that would prohibit the slaughter of horses in New York state for human consumption. The bill has already passed the state Senate, and is now before the Assembly's Agriculture Committee for consideration. The "justification" section language in the Maziarz proposal is among the most descriptive, chilling and accurate passages submitted on the Senate floor in Albany in years:
"Pet horses, work horses, racehorses, and even wild horses go to slaughter. Most arrive at the slaughterhouse via livestock auctions where, often unknown to the seller, they are bought by middlemen working for the slaughter plants. These so-called 'killer buyers' travel from one auction to the next collecting young, old, sick and healthy animals until their trucks are full. Some are shipped for more than 24 hours at a time without food, water, or rest, and suffer horribly along the way.
"Callous treatment of horses at the slaughterhouse often results in their prolonged suffering. Panicked horses are prodded and beaten off the truck and into the kill-chute. The improper use of stunning equipment, designed to render the animal unconscious with a swift shot to the head, means that horses sometimes endure repeated blows and remain unconscious during their own slaughter. This bill would ensure that such cruelty and blatant disregard for one of America's most majestic and noble creatures will no longer be tolerated in New York State."
Couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you, senator.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | April 11 2006 |