THE man who defied media tycoon Rupert Murdoch over his instructions to ditch the publication of a book by former Hong Kong Governor, Chris Patten, was born in Bolton. Stuart Proffitt threw the literary world into turmoil when he left Harper Collins, the publishing group he had worked for for 15 years, claiming Mr Murdoch intervened to drop the book because of his commercial interests in China. Mr Proffitt had secured a contract for the book - about the hand-over of Hong Kong to the Chinese - against stiff competition from other publishers. He described the book as one of the best he had read by a politician and predicted it would be a best seller.

But Mr Proffitt was later told by the company that a decision had been taken to withdraw the book on the grounds that it was disappointing and not worth the cash advance paid.

Mr Proffitt then told his bosses that he would have to consider his position with the company. He was then suspended from work but is now suing Harper Collins for constructive dismissal.

Mr Proffitt claimed that he was being asked by the company to lie about the book and damage his own reputation.

In a legal declaration, Mr Proffitt said Harper Collins' UK Chairman had told him that Rupert Murdoch had called late last year to express his "displeasure" about the book.

Mr Proffitt, aged 36, was born in Chorley New Road, Bolton and brought up on the outskirts of the town, before being sent to Uppingham. He went to Oxford University and joined Harper Collins after graduating with a history degree in 1983. He is widely acknowledged as the most important publishing editor of non-fiction work in the country and was appointed publisher of Harper Collins' main books division in 1992.

He has been described as the "last gentleman in publishing" and is no stranger to dealing with major politicians including former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, whose memoirs were dealt with by the publisher.

Several writers connected with Harper Collins, including Fay Weldon, Doris Lessing, Peter Hennessey, Anthony Storr and Simon Heffer have publicly criticised their publisher and have called for a meeting of authors to plan action.

It has been claimed by the authors that at the heart of the dispute is Mr Murdoch's ambition to extend his TV empire into China and his reluctance to offend the Chinese dictatorship.

Mr Murdoch axed the BBC World Service channel from his Hong Kong-based Star TV network after it carried an unsympathetic profile of former premier and revolutionary leader Chairman Mao.

The book by Mr Patten, who has been described by the Chinese as a "perfidious whore" and a "drooling idiot", is deeply critical of the Beijing regime.

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