The "Non-Existing Guy"

I met a guy in Prague today who does not actually exist. Well, I didn't actually meet him, but rather learned about him from a painter sitting on the steps of a theater named in the man's honor (the theatre does, in fact, exist). The painter called this man in endearing broken English, the "non-existing guy." The "person" I am talking about is a character named Jára Cimrman, and while he might not exist by the laws governed by the material universe, he does exist in the hearts, minds, and culture of the Czech people. This fictional man is the brainchild of Ladislav Smoljak and Zdenek Sverak, two Czech artists who on December 23, 1966 changed Czech pop culture forever with the debut of Cimrman on a radio program called "The Spider Non-Alcoholic Wine Bar." Cimrman is meant to personify all that is ironic, hilarious, and sad in Czech history and culture and has become a fabricated national hero. He was even awarded "The Greatest Czech in History" prize in 2005 by Czech Television, which was later revoked by said television company because they realized that the award should go to real people, pshh. The theater in his name resides in Prague's Zizkov district and is perhaps the single most frequented theatre in the country—in fact, tickets are not available online and people actually post ads to hire other people to stand in line for them at the ticket counter at 2am the morning before a show. Now that I've whet your appetite like a seductress tease, I must break the bad news—a foreigner could probably never understand the Cimrmanian humor, as it draws on deeply rooted cultural sensitivities. I can suggest, though, going to a show if you like sitting in a room where you feel like everyone is laughing at an inside joke and you're the only outsider. It can make you feel oddly special and only a tiny bit lame...