Former England bowler Graeme Swann has hit out at Kevin Pietersen's autobiography by describing the book as a "work of fiction".

Pietersen, who was axed from the England setup at the start of the year following the nation's disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia, has accused Matt Prior of leading a bullying culture within the team.

Pietersen also named Swann, Stuart Broad and James Anderson in a bowlers' clique who would allegedly force fielders to apologise in the dressing room if they made a mistake.

Swann was asked about the book at Lord's during a NatWest awards ceremony for grass-roots cricket.

"I expected it to be the biggest work of fiction since Jules Verne and that seems to have happened," The Telegraph quotes Swann as saying. "The one thing I will say is that I immediately realised it was codswallop when I read the character assassination of Matt Prior.

"Tragically I don't think Kev realises the one person who fought tooth and nail to keep him in the side is the one person he is now assassinating - Matt Prior.

"I think the players will be fine. They have just got to get on and play. Kevin has been quite clever because the guys still playing he has left alone and he hopes to get back in again one day. He has picked on people who he thinks can't answer back. If that [bullying] was the case a lot of people would have flagged it up before."

Pietersen's book KP: The Autobiography will be released on Thursday.