Who was Alfred Jarry (1873-1907)? He is well-known as the creator of Père Ubu, the legendary character he portrayed in various roles in plays that are still performed today. He introduced Pataphysics to the world, a nonsensical, absurdist philosophical concept that undermines any system of statements with an inflated claim to truth. After a wild life, he died far too young, leaving behind a thousand stories and mythically exaggerated anecdotes surrounding his persona. Since then, he has inspired countless artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and philosophers: the customs officer Rousseau, Paul Gauguin, Pierre Bonnard, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Antonin Artaud, the Marx Brothers, Blaise Cendrars, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Michel Leiris, Eugène Ionesco, Boris Vian, Octavio Paz, Hans Arp, Alexander Calder, and Jean Dubuffet.