’Da Vinci’ documents could hold key

By César G. Soriano, USA TODAYWed Mar 15, 8:11 AM ET

Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown spent a grueling second day on the witness stand here Tuesday, defending his book against charges of copyright infringement. But the person at the heart of the case was not even in court: his wife, Blythe.

For all the secrets central to the best-selling thriller, Blythe Brown could be the greatest mystery of all. In court testimony, Dan Brown has revealed how his wife’s research played a major role in the book’s success. It was her idea to include concepts of the sacred feminine and the holy bloodline theory, which contends that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a child.

Blythe Brown "is passionate about art and secret history and was enjoying educating herself and being involved in the research," the author wrote in a 69-page witness statement.

Her research has become a primary focus in the suit brought by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, two of the three authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Their attorney, Jonathan Rayner James, grilled Brown about his wife’s research methods Tuesday, charging she cobbled together unattributed material from several sources, including Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and used them to create documents that became the synopsis for The Da Vinci Code.

Brown, sounding testy, repeatedly denied that his wife created the documents, noting that one contained British spellings and punctuation.

Blythe Brown has not been subpoenaed to testify and has not been seen in court. A spokesman for Random House, which published The Da Vinci Code, declined to say where she was, citing company policy not to comment on the couple’s personal lives.

"I am an individual who values my privacy highly. So does my wife; she in particular finds all book-related public attention intrusive," Brown wrote in a separate statement.

Blythe Brown, an art historian and painter, met her husband in 1991 in Los Angeles, where she was working as director of artist development at the National Academy of Songwriters and he was attempting to break into the music business. Dan Brown credits Blythe with launching his second career as an author.

Brown, 41, and the former Blythe Newlon, 53 according to Britain’s Observer newspaper, married in 1997 and now reside in Rye, N.H. The Observer described Blythe as, "if not the real brains behind The Da Vinci Code, then certainly a creative energy as indispensable to her husband as the Mona Lisa herself."

"My wife has always been a tremendous support system," Brown wrote in the witness statement.

Describing their working relationship, Brown told the court Tuesday his wife is his primary researcher, often sending him troves of information by e-mail. "It may sound very cold, but that’s how we communicate, even at home," he testified.

By his account, The Da Vinci Code was a husband-and-wife collaboration. But only his name is on the cover. Her name appears on the dedication page: "For Blythe ... again. More than ever."