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John Blake is to publish the memoirs of “undoubtedly the most famous chimp on the planet", recently-bereaved celebrity pet Bubbles.
The acquisition of Bubbles: My Secret Diary, From Swaziland to Neverland was completed last week, and is a last-minute addition to the publisher’s October schedule.
Blake described the spoof memoir as a “collection of very personal and honest entries from [Bubbles'] diary", giving readers “the whole story" of the chimpanzee’s celebrity life, in which he escaped from an “awful childhood" in a research clinic, and “adopted a struggling young singer". It also looks at the darker side of Bubbles’ world—his $2,000-a-day banana addiction, depression and romantic conquests, which include “that infamous PG Tips orgy", as well as the “vicious rivalry" with Tarzan star Cheeta, whose memoir Me Cheeta was last week nominated for the Man Booker longlist.
Blake said: “Behind his seemingly-perfect life of glamorous friends, gold-plated tyre swings, and personal chefs, there is a dark history of medical experiments, addiction and loss. But Bubbles has fought against his personal and professional problems and, with his help of man-pet Michael Jackson, he has grown to become bigger than King Kong—figuratively speaking."
The title is fully up-to-date, to include how Bubbles dealt with the recent death of Jackson. It is to be published in paperback on 5th October, priced £7.99. Extracts and reviews are expected to run in “a variety" of print media, the publisher said.
“This is a story that will challenge, inspire and amaze," said Blake.