Oscar Wilde grandson to collect reissued British Library pass / Photo: LEON NEAL - AFP
-
Colombia declares three days mourning for quake victims
-
Warholm on track in bid for fourth Euro hurdles gold
-
44 lives lost after ferry capsizes on Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba
-
Erdogan eyes expansion of regional defence pact
-
WallStreetPR Releases Report on China’s Gold Purchases and African Mining Investment
-
Extreme weather, jellyfish knock one-fifth of France's nuclear capacity offline
-
Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji dies aged 97
-
Skywatchers gather in Europe to see total solar eclipse
-
Markets steady awaiting US inflation data
-
Zhu Rongji, trailblazing ex-premier who transformed China's economy
-
WHO says Trump vaccine shake-up goes against evidence
-
China tech giant Tencent's Q2 profit down as AI push builds
-
Eclipse chasers flock to Spain for 'breathtaking' experience
-
China's C919 jet makes first international commercial flight
-
'To make the civilians leave': Russia pummels Ukraine's petrol stations
-
Mideast war impact on travel bookings fading, TUI says
-
Japan brushes off Australian PM's melon drama
-
Bangladesh get Das fitness boost for daunting Australia task
-
Rod Stewart cancels tour dates after heart surgery
-
One dead, 172 rescued as second ferry in days catches fire in Indonesia
-
How Britain's mapmakers track climate change
-
Foxconn posts quarterly profit surge on AI server demand
-
Australian delivery drivers win 'world-leading' pay rise
-
Hazlewood gets Australia nod ahead of Boland for Bangladesh Test
-
Meta meets its own 'tobacco' moment in court
-
Toyota ex-chief Okuda, pioneer of the Prius, dead at 93
-
Art or medicine? Japan's cosmetic tattoo artists in limbo
-
Colombia rescuers find woman alive as quake death toll passes 200
-
Rybakina ousts Osaka to book Toronto semi-final against Gauff
-
New Zealand PM survives leadership challenge months from election
-
Colombia rescuers find woman alive as quake death toll passes 240
-
Passengers rescued as second ferry in days catches fire in Indonesia
-
Charges dropped against Bondi Beach attack hero
-
Oil prices rise, stocks mixed ahead of crucial US inflation data
-
Parched and desperate for rain, Kazakhstan turns to cloud-seeding
-
UK 'joke' candidate Binface pushes serious point about politics
-
The perfect storm that turbocharged Venezuela's twin quakes
-
New Zealand PM Luxon survives leadership challenge months from election
-
2.4 million girls banned from Afghan schools since Taliban return: UNESCO
-
Cuba celebrates Castro's 100th as his revolution faces its toughest test
-
Colombians dig through rubble as quake death toll surpasses 240
-
Defending champion Shelton rolls into Montreal semis
-
Karbon-X and Core Energy Sign Letter of Intent to Explore Commercial EV Charging Infrastructure in South America
-
New Zealand's ruling party meets to decide PM Luxon's fate
-
What to know about the total solar eclipse
-
Total solar eclipse to spellbind Europe
-
Tentoglou claims fourth Euro long jump title, injured Jacobs falters
-
Jodar, Nakashima to make Masters semis debuts in Montreal
-
All Blacks knew Nonu would perform solo Haka - coach Rennie
-
Chilean veteran Sanchez signs with MLS club Montreal
Oscar Wilde grandson to collect reissued British Library pass
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.
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.
F.Cardoso--PC
