British Library Restores Oscar Wilde’s Reader Card After 130 Years

In a significant act of cultural restitution, the British Library announced it will reinstate Oscar Wilde’s reader pass, which had been revoked 130 years ago following his conviction for gross indecency. The official presentation of this contemporary pass will take place during a special event on October 16, coinciding with Wilde's birthday, and will be presented to his grandson, Merlin Holland. Rupert Everett, who portrayed Wilde in the film *The Happy Prince*, will participate in the ceremony.

Merlin Holland, an expert on his grandfather's life and author of *The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde*, expressed that Wilde would likely have found the reinstatement long overdue, stating, "He’d probably say ‘about time too’.” The revocation of Wilde’s pass in 1895 was recorded in board minutes from the British Museum, which at the time operated the Reading Room. The minutes detail how Wilde, who had been granted reader status in 1879, was excluded from further access following his imprisonment.

Wilde's conviction stemmed from a libel case he pursued against Lord Queensberry, who accused him of being a “sodomite.” This legal battle ultimately led to Wilde's imprisonment for two years of hard labor, marking a dramatic turn in his life from celebrated playwright to a figure of public disgrace. After his release, Wilde lived in poverty in Paris, passing away in 1900 at the age of 46. His wife, Constance, changed their children’s surname to Holland to escape the stigma attached to Wilde's name.

The decision to reinstate Wilde's reader pass reflects a broader cultural shift towards recognizing the injustices faced by LGBTQ individuals in history. In 2017, Wilde was included among more than 50,000 gay and bisexual men who received posthumous pardons under the Policing and Crime Act of 2017, although the Ministry of Justice did not name individuals specifically.

Holland remarked on the symbolic nature of the reinstatement, noting that Wilde was unaware of the library's decision to revoke his access, which would have compounded his suffering during imprisonment. He commented, “It would have just added to his misery to feel that one of the world’s great libraries had banned him from books just as the law had banned him from daily life.”

Laura Walker, the British Library’s lead curator of modern archives and manuscripts, emphasized the importance of acknowledging Wilde's contributions to literature and the injustice he faced, stating, “We really want to honour Wilde now and acknowledge what happened to him. Section 11 of the law, which related to the criminalization of homosexuality, was unjust.”

The British Library holds one of the most significant collections of Wilde's manuscripts, including drafts of his renowned plays such as *The Importance of Being Earnest* and *A Woman of No Importance*. This collection further underlines the importance of reinstating his access to the institution that preserved his literary legacy.

The upcoming event will not only celebrate Wilde’s literary contributions but also ignite discussions around the impact of historical injustices on modern society. Holland’s new book, *After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal*, will also be launched during the event, contributing to the ongoing discourse on Wilde's legacy. As society continues to grapple with the implications of past prejudices, the British Library's gesture serves as a reminder of the need for reflection, acknowledgment, and progress.