Jiří Vilímek: The Inevitable End of a Marathon Runner

The plot of Jiří Vilímek's play The Inevitable End of the Marathon Runner begins at the very end of the war, in an illegal newspaper office. Here a group of men of different characters and war experiences are transcribing and gradually publishing the diary of a hero whom they all call the Athenian. He is not present, but he is a legendary fighter against the enemy. Here, Jiří Vilímek plays out a history not unlike the propaganda work to create the cult of Julius Fucik, and he also demonstrates the tendency to alter reality on purpose. Directed by: Jiří Horčička - persons and cast: Čára (Jan Tříska), Fakir (Josef Somr), Pinďa (Josef Kemr), Spojka (Jana Dítětová), Athenian (Radoslav Brzobohatý) and others. The play The Inevitable End of the Marathon Runner won the first prize at the Prix Italia festival in 1969.