Poe toaster

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Roses and cognac at Poe's tomb today. The real Poe Toaster always visited the memorial stone on its original grave.

The Poe Toaster (Engl. To toast , a toast to someone) was a mysterious figure that every year the late American author over 60 years (1949-2009) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) paid tribute on whose birthday tribute. She wore a black coat and a black hat; her face was veiled.

The enigmatic tradition of this Poe toaster was first observed by passers-by in 1949. In the early hours of January 19, Poe's birthday, a person dressed in all black appeared, entered Westminster Hall in Baltimore , Maryland , and then walked across the cemetery to the writer's grave. There the Poe Toaster put down three roses and a bottle of cognac and raised its glass to Poe. It is believed that the roses were intended for three people: Poe himself, his wife Virginia, and his mother-in-law Maria Clemm . Why the toaster added a small bottle of cognac remained a secret; the drink is not found in Poe's work. Many of these bottles have been collected and stored by the Edgar Allan Poe Society .

In 1993 the Poe Toaster left a message saying "The torch will be passed". A few years later, another message was found stating that the original Poe Toaster had died in 1998 and that the ritual would from now on be carried out by his sons. Since then, different people have been observed as a Poe toaster . In 2001, the Poe Toaster left a Super Bowl comment in which it was negative about the Baltimore Ravens home team , named after Poe's poem The Raven . Another piece of news in 2004 said that French cognac did not belong at Poe's grave and was only placed there out of respect for tradition. This was interpreted as a political statement on the Iraq war at the time , in which France did not participate.

This news was seen as a sign that the new Poe toasters were taking their job less seriously. Jeff Jerome of the Poe House and Museum also pointed out that the costumes had become more sloppy over time. Another message was not published at all because of disappointment with the content.

In the course of time, numerous reporters and Poe fans came to watch this traditional process on Poe's birthday. But nobody has revealed the identity of the mysterious well-wishers, although in 2006 several viewers made an unsuccessful attempt to ambush the Poe Toaster and unmask it. In 2010, the mysterious stranger had not appeared at the grave for the first time in 61 years. In the years that followed, the Poe toaster never came back. The reason for the termination of the tradition was not known. However, imitators often pretended to be Poe toasters .

In 2007, then 92-year-old Sam Porpora claimed to have been the original Poe toaster . He founded the tradition in 1967 as a PR measure for the Westminster Presbyterian Church, for which he worked as a historian and curator. However, Porpora's claim was rejected by the Poe House and Museum as there were much older reports about the Poe toaster .

In 2015, the Maryland Historical Society (contrary to an announcement made a few years earlier) looked in a competition for a new Poe toaster , which should continue the tradition as an attraction for the fans. The identity of the selected performer was not disclosed. The "official" successor first appeared in January 2016. In contrast to the original Poe Toaster , it appeared three days before Poe's birthday after a public announcement in broad daylight and played a violin. Around 100 spectators attended the ceremony, some of whom were masked themselves. The event also included a dramatic reading of Poe's short story Das Fass Amontillado .

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ 'Toaster' rejects French cognac at Poe's grave , Washington Post, January 19, 2004, viewed April 2, 2017
  2. ↑ Poe Toaster Remains A Mystery , wbal.com January 19, 2013, viewed April 2, 2017
  3. ↑ Cole Little: The Poe Toaster Fails to Make an Appearance , geeksided.com January 19, 2016, viewed April 2, 2017
  4. ↑ William Wan: Never More Doubt , Washington Post, August 27, 2007, viewed April 2, 2017
  5. ↑ Ian Duncan: New Poe Toaster takes up a Baltimore tradition , The Baltimore Sun on January 17, 2016, viewed April 2, 2017
personal data
SURNAME Toaster, Poe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION mysterious figure who paid tribute to the late American author Edgar Allan Poe every year on his birthday for over 60 years (1949–2009)
DATE OF BIRTH 19th century or 20th century
DATE OF DEATH 20th century or 21st century