The British Library has reissued Oscar Wilde's reader's permit, revoked in 1895 for being homosexual.

The British Library honored the Irish writer Oscar Wilde by reissuing his reader's permit, revoked in 1895 after his conviction for 'serious immorality', during a time when homosexual relationships were illegal. The permit handover ceremony, which included a photograph of the author of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', took place on Thursday evening, accepted by his nephew, Merlin Holland.

He described the gesture as a beautiful act of apology, mentioning that "Wilde's spirit would have been delighted". The reissued permit is part of a biography of Wilde, titled 'After Oscar: the Legacy of a Scandal', which reflects on the posthumous rehabilitation of the author, who died in poverty in Paris in 1900. Homosexuality was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967.