Do you have an imaginary character or fictional person that fascinates you?

I’ve recently become interested in harlequins. These brightly-dressed comedic buffoons wear masks and diamond-shaped patterned costumes. The harlequin is usually mysterious and entangled in some sort of romantic intrigue.

“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” is a dystopian short story by Harlan Ellison, published in 1965. The story takes place in some not-too-distant future where society is so regimented and uniform that all the people must say, do, and think the same things, and live on a strict schedule. The Harlequin is the resistance; he’s an individual in a world that has outlawed individuality.

Harlequins are popular with artists. Picasso loved harlequins, and even painted his son Paul dressed as one.

1901 Harlequin

Paul as Harlequin

Cézanne and Derain paintings featuring harlequins:

Paul Cézanne’s Pierrot and Harlequin

Andre Derain painting of a Harlequin