British author Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is perhaps most famous for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and his play The Importance of Being Earnest. Hugely popular but controversial in Victorian society, Wilde's career and reputation collapsed when he was convicted of gross indecency in 1895 and sentenced to two years in prison. He died in poverty three years after his release.
The Guardian reports that when Wilde was convicted the Board of Trustees of the British Library, then known as the British Museum Reading Room, revoked Wilde's access to that celebrated nexus of intellectual discourse. On October 16, on the occasion of Wilde's birthday, the British Library will restore Wilde's access--posthumously, of course.
-via reddit