Oscar Wilde: British Library reinstates revoked card as playhouse stages classic comedy

The British Library has reinstated the library card of Oscar Wilde, 130 years after it was revoked following his conviction for homosexual acts in 1895. The move is viewed as a symbolic attempt to right a historical wrong against the author of ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’.

In a separate cultural event, the Mansfield Playhouse is staging Wilde’s 1895 comedy, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. The production features a 10-member ensemble cast and explores Wilde’s satire of Victorian high society, specifically how the aristocracy treated trivial social etiquette with gravity while ignoring profound human truths.