Oscar Wilde grandson to collect reissued British Library pass

Pallade Veneta - Oscar Wilde grandson to collect reissued British Library pass

CULTURE 16.10.2025

Oscar Wilde grandson to collect reissued British Library pass / Photo: LEON NEAL - AFP

The grandson of Oscar Wilde will Thursday collect a British Library pass symbolically reinstated to the celebrated Irish writer 130 years after it was revoked when he was convicted for being gay.

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In 1895 the storied London library's trustees banned Wilde -- one of the greatest playwrights and all-round wits of that century -- after he had been imprisoned for "gross indecency".

Same-sex relationships were a criminal offence at the time.

The library -- then known as the British Museum's Reading Room -- said in June it would honour Wilde by reissuing his so-called reader pass, timing the announcement to coincide with Pride Month.

Merlin Holland, Wilde's only grandson, will formally retrieve a contemporary pass bearing his grandfather's name and photo at a Thursday evening event at the library also celebrating his new book about him.

The biography, "After Oscar: the Legacy of a Scandal", details the posthumous rehabilitation of the 19th century icon, whose glittering career ended in poverty and disgrace following his conviction.

"The restitution of his ticket is a lovely gesture of forgiveness and I'm sure his spirit will be touched and delighted," Holland said in a statement ahead of the event.

E.M.Filippelli--PV

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Pallade Veneta - Oscar Wilde grandson to collect reissued British Library pass