Oscar Wilde grandson to collect reissued British Library pass / Photo: © AFP
-
Substitute 'keeper sends Saint-Etienne into promotion play-off
-
Sinner's bid to reach Italian Open final held up by Roman rain
-
Aston Villa humble Liverpool to secure Champions League qualification
-
US says Iran-backed militia commander planned Jewish site attacks
-
Bolivia unrest continues despite government deal with miners
-
Scheffler slams 'absurd' PGA pin locations
-
New deadly Ebola outbreak hits DR Congo, 1 dead in Uganda
-
Democrats accuse Trump of stock trade corruption
-
'Beyond the Oscar': Travolta gets surprise Cannes prize
-
Israel, Lebanon say extending ceasefire despite new strikes
-
Potgieter grabs early PGA lead at difficult Aronimink
-
Prosecutors seek death penalty for US man charged with killing Israeli embassy staffers
-
Judge declares mistrial in Weinstein sex assault case
-
Canada takes key step towards new oil pipeline
-
Iranian filmmaker Farhadi condemns Middle East war, protest massacres
-
'Better than the Oscar': John Travolta gets surprise Cannes prize
-
Marsh muscle motors Lucknow to victory over Chennai
-
Judge declares mistrial in Weinstein case as jury fails to reach verdict
-
Eurovision finalists tune up as boycotting Spain digs in
-
Indonesia's first giant panda is set to charm the public
-
Cheer and tears as African refugee rap film 'Congo Boy' charms Cannes
-
Norwegian Ruud rolls into Italian Open final, Sinner set for Medvedev clash
-
Bolivia government says deal reached with protesting miners
-
Showdowns and spycraft on Trump-Xi summit sidelines
-
Smalley seizes PGA lead with Matsuyama making a charge
-
Acosta quickest in practice for Catalan MotoGP
-
Nuno wants VAR 'consistency' as West Ham fight to avoid relegation
-
Vingegaard powers to maiden Giro stage victory
-
Iran to hold pre-World Cup training camp in Turkey: media
-
US scraps deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland
-
Ukraine vows more strikes on Russia after attack on Kyiv kills 24
-
Bayern veteran Neuer signs one-year contract extension
-
Ukraine can down Russian drones en masse. But missiles are a problem
-
Israeli strikes wound dozens in Lebanon as talks in US enter second day
-
'Everybody wants Hearts to win', says Celtic's O'Neill ahead of title decider
-
Scheffler stumbles from share of lead at windy PGA
-
New deadly Ebola outbreak hits DR Congo
-
Farke calls for Leeds owners to match his ambition
-
Zverev pulls out of home event in Hamburg with back injury
-
Xi, Trump eke small wins from talks but no major deals: analysts
-
De Ligt to miss World Cup after back surgery
-
England's Rice braces for 'hate and love' at World Cup
-
Milan Fashion Week says will ask brands not to show fur
-
French-German tank maker KNDS to push ahead with IPO
-
Man City campaign a success regardless of trophies: Guardiola
-
'World's oldest dog' contender dies in France aged 30
-
No.1 Scheffler opens with bogey to fall from share of PGA lead
-
Carrick says Man Utd future to be decided 'pretty soon'
-
'Out of shape' Lukaku named in Belgium World Cup squad
-
Hearts ready to 'rip up the script' in Celtic title showdown
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.Pavlenko--BTB
