Jára Cimrman

Jára Cimrman (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjaːra ˈtsɪmr̩man]) is a Czech fictional character of a universal genius. Created by Karel Velebný, Jiří Šebánek and Zdeněk Svěrák, the fictional personality (universal genius, inventor, sportsman, criminalist, poet, writer and philosopher), Jára Cimrman won the voting for The Greatest Czech in 2005 (only the fact that Cimrman is fictional prevented him from actually winning). He is presented as one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travellers, philosophers, inventors, detectives, mathematicians, amateur obstetricians and sportsmen of the 19th and early 20th century. Playing the game on his real existence is part of his characterization.

Cimrman made his first appearance on a regular radio programme Nealkoholická vinárna U Pavouka ("The Non-Alcoholic Wine Bar chez Spider") on 23 December 1966. Although the character was originally meant to be just a modest caricature of the Czech people, history, and culture, he became an immensely popular protagonist of modern Czech folklore, and an ersatz national hero. Cimrman is both the major character and the putative author of a great number of books, plays, and films. Žižkovské divadlo Járy Cimrmana (Jára Cimrman Theatre in Žižkov) is one of Prague's most frequented theatre houses.

The precise dates of his birth and death have not been to this day agreed upon. Because Franz Huschkov, the registrar of the 4th Vienna Parish, was making most of his entries in a state of inebriation, it cannot be said with any degree of certainty whether Jára Cimrman was born to Marlén and Leopold Cimrman on a freezing February night in 1857, 1864, or 1876. We therefore assume that he was born in 1880, which would make the year 2000 the 120th anniversary of the master’s birth.

As we cast our eyes across the tremendous number of masterworks created by this spiritual titan, we can not but wonder, “Whence did the Cimrman’s genius come from?” Cimrman’s inventiveness and creativity are partially explained by the fact that he did not pass through the stage of puberty at all, which, as is well known, deflects the creative energy to undesirable directions. Until Cimrman reached the age of 15, his parents were hiding the fact that he was a boy so that he could wear the clothing of his older sister Luisa. However, when his malicious classmates at the girl school revealed that he was not a girl, Cimrman had already passed through the puberty since, as we know, girls mature faster than boys.

...
Wikipedia