The British Library has honoured late Irish writer Oscar Wilde by reissuing a reader's card in his name, 130 years after his original was revoked following his conviction for 'gross indecency'. The celebrated novelist, poet, and playwright was excluded from the library's reading room in 1895 over his charge for having had homosexual relationships, which was a criminal offence at the time.

The new card, which will be collected by his grandson, author Merlin Holland, on Thursday, is intended to 'acknowledge the injustices and immense suffering' Wilde faced, the library said. Mr. Holland stated that the new card is a 'lovely gesture of forgiveness and I'm sure his spirit will be touched and delighted'.

The decision to revoke Wilde's pass for the library - then the British Museum reading room - was recorded without comment in the trustees' minutes of June 15, 1895, following Wilde's conviction and imprisonment for a period of three years with hard labor.

Dame Carol Black, chair of the British Library, described Wilde as 'one of the most significant literary figures of the nineteenth century' and emphasized that the reissuance of his library card serves to honor his memory while recognizing the injustices he faced due to his sexual orientation.