活动邀请函书要如何规范的书写呢？邀请函是发给对方邀请的一种邀约性书信，所以就需要大家事先准备好活动邀请函。而邀请函在写的时候不能一两句敷衍了事，我们今天为大家精心挑选了一篇讲述“邀请函格式英语”的文章，为了便于您日后的访问请将本页加入浏览器收藏夹！

邀请函格式英语【篇1】

中文、英语请柬、邀请函的不同和英文请柬的格式：

现代的社会是交际的社会，需要举办或参加各种国际或国内的会议以及宴会等，写邀请信和请柬是一个人必备的素质。今天我们就来介绍中文请柬和英文请柬的格式，并在后面给出中文请柬和英文请柬的范文！

由于邀请信是一种重要的社交书信，它包括正式和非正式两种。正式的邀请信即请柬，它有固定的格式，一般用第三人称书写；非正式的邀请信格式不严格，使用第一人称，称呼也比较自由。

中文请柬和英文请柬、邀请函的格式

中文请柬和英文请柬有固定的格式和措辞，因此不能简单地以单句为单位进行翻译，而应从整个篇章的角度去把握，使译文符合目的语的表达习惯。请看下面这则例子：

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the honour of the presence of

Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Brown

at the marriage of their daughter

Elizabeth Smith

to

Mr. John Frederick Hamilton

Saturday, the twenty-ninth of September

at four o'clock p.m.

Church of Heavenly Rest

New York

译文如下：J．A．布朗先生及夫人：兹定于九月二十九日（星期六）下午四时在纽约天安教堂为小女伊丽莎白．史密斯与约翰?弗雷德里克．汉密尔顿先生举行婚礼，届时恭请 光临。约翰．史密斯夫妇谨订。这是一张正式的英文结婚请柬，格式采用固定的分行式。在内容安排上按照“邀请者 被邀请者 邀请之意活动内容 时间 地点”这样的'先后顺序。汉语的顺序是“活动时间 活动地点 活动内容 邀请之意邀请者的姓名”，邀请者的姓名应写在右下角，与正文分开。无论是英语请柬还是汉语请柬，在语言上的要求是一致的，都须简洁明了，措辞庄重、文雅，比如，原请柬中为表达邀请之意所用的是“request the honour of the presence of”，翻译时用“恭请光临”与之对应。此外，译文的开头用了“兹定于”，结尾处用“谨订”，这样的用词都体现了请柬正式的文体。但有两点不同：第一，英文请柬从头至尾都采用第三人称，译成中文时，一般应改用第一人称，如：“the marriage of their daughter”译成“为小女”；第二，英文请柬中星期应写在日期之前，译成汉语时，星期应写在日期后面的括号内。 有时请柬下角有一些备注，提醒被邀请人应注意的事项，如：R.S.V.P.：法语 “Répondez s'il vous plait” 的缩写，即 “Please reply”，“请复函”; For regrets only：“若不能来请告知”（regrets意为“谢绝邀请的短柬”）；Dress code：着装要求。

下面是一封英语邀请函、请柬的范文，供大家参考：

July 29, 20xx

XXX, CEO

XXX, VP Sales

XXXXXXXX Corporation

(Address)

It’s our great honor to invite you to visit XXX Company located at (address) in August, 20xx. This visit will provide an opportunity for you to make a better understanding of our marketing issues, and to communicate our future business cooperation in detail.

XXX Company, as one of your distributors in China, has been great progressing in promoting and selling your products. We believe this visit will be of great benefit to our future business cooperation.

Please use this invitation letter to apply for your VISA to China.

We are all looking forward to seeing you soon, and should you have any questions, please feel free to inform me.

Yours truly,

XXX

Vice President Sales

XXX Company

邀请函格式英语【篇2】

尊敬的家长：

您好!

英语是xxx幼儿园重要的课程之一，为了给孩子营造一个更好的语言环境，我园国际班采用外教跟班教学模式。为了让您更好的'了解孩子们在幼儿园的英语学习，我园定于11月24日-11月25日(下周三、周四)上午为英语教学开放活动，诚挚邀请您莅临参加!

活动安排

8:25—8:40：签到(二楼小剧场旁)

8:40—9:00：活动说明会(三楼会议室)

9:00—9:30：观摩班级欢迎时间(各国际班教室)

9:30—10:00：英语课堂(各国际班教室)

10:00—10:15：上午点心

10:15—10:45：AH-HA英语晨操展示(二楼儿童剧场)

10:45-11:00：班级户外游戏时间

11:00-11:40：班级英语课程教研(分班分区组织)

温馨提示

1.国际班(周三上午：哈佛、清华;周四上午：牛津、北大)每个家庭可派一名家长参加。

2.请活动当天请佩戴好口罩，出示健康绿码，测量体温。

3.请不要带贵重物品入园，避免遗失;请保持室内清洁，勿将食物带入园，幼儿园内禁止吸烟;活动开始后请将手机调到静音或振动状态;请注意言传身教，保持室内公共卫生，不乱扔垃圾杂物，不损坏公共财产。

4.活动当天8:40—9:00为活动说明，请您在三楼会议室参加;9:30—10:00为国际班英语课堂，届时请您移步在孩子的教室(哈佛、清华、牛津、北大)参加。

5.本次活动，各位家长可于11月24日—11月25(下周三、周四)上午11:40以后离园，幼儿园正常在园午餐、午休，下午正常在园学习、生活，请您于当天下午4:50—5:30接孩子离园(有社团活动的幼儿家长请于6:10来园接孩子)。

谁道春犹浅，花开欲满枝。

遇见孩子，是最美的期待，

一路生长，一路向阳，

让我们一起携起手来，

用爱与约束，

守护、牵引孩子成长。

11月24日—11月25日，

这是一场因爱和信任的邂逅，

期待与您的相见!

邀请函格式英语【篇3】

1) 请对方来发表一个speech，这封信是要感谢对方，同时确认对方对技术设备的具体要求。

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm delighted you have accepted our invitation to speak at the conference in on .

As we agreed, you'll be speaking on the topic “ ” from to . There will be some time for questions.

Would you please tell me what kind of audio-visual equipment you'll need? If you could let me know your specific requirements by , I'll have plenty of time to make sure that the hotel provides you with what you need.

Thank you again for agreeing to speak. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

2) 这封信则是请对方来参加自己公司的一个招待会。

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your letter of . I'm glad that you are also going to next month. It would be a great pleasure to meet you at the .

Our company is having a reception at on the evening of and I would be very pleased if you could attend.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

3) 这封信是邀请对方公司派人来做介绍。

Dear Sir/Madam,

would very much like to have someone from your company speak at our conference on .

As you may be aware, the mission of our association is promotion. Many of our members are interested in the achievements your company has made.

Enclosed is our preliminary schedule for the conference that will be reviewed in the coming weeks. I'll call you to see who from your company would be willing to speak to us. I can assure you that we'll make everything as convenient as possible for the speaker.

Sincerely yours,

4) 邀请收信人参加自己公司的产品演示会。

Dear Sir/Madam,

We would like to invite you to an exclusive presentation of our new .

The presentation will take place at , at on . There will also be a reception at . We hope you and your colleagues will be able to attend.

is a leading producer of high-quality . As you know, recent technological advances have become increasingly affordable to the public. Our new models offer superb quality and sophistication with economy, and their new features give them distinct advantages over similar products from other manufacturers.

We look forward to seeing you on . Just call our office at and we will be glad to secure a place for you.

Sincerely yours,

5) 邀请收信人参加公司总裁的退休仪式，这也是公司人性化公关活动的一种形式。

Dear Sir/Madam,

On , we will host an evening of celebration in honor of the retirement of , President of . You are cordially invited to attend the celebration at , , on from to .

has been the President of since . During this period, expanded its business greatly. Now it's our opportunity to thank him for his years of exemplary leadership and wish him well for a happy retirement. Please join us in saying good-bye to .

See you on .

邀请函格式英语【篇4】

加拿大商务访问邀请函必须包含以下信息: 被邀请人的信息

被邀请人的信息 About the person being invited 全名 / complete name

生日 / date of birth, if known

职务及所代表的公司 / the company represented and the person’s position

该人的住址 电话(工作/住宅)/ the person’s address and telephone number (both work and home)

你公司与被邀人的商务关系及历史 / your company’s relationship to the invitee and your business history together

你是否与该人相知，关系如何whether you know the visitor personally, and if you are related

访问目的(如需长期逗留，请解释原因)the purpose of the trip (if part of a longer-term project, please provide context)

访问时间和期限the length of time the person will be visiting your company in Canada

邀请函格式英语【篇5】

12月10日晚上19点，在公主坟南企业网大厦的学而思乐加乐英语教室里，准时开始了一场《90分钟手把手教你写申请函》的写作体验课。其实激烈的高考战役从高一就开始打响了，历年的高考英语作文题目中，多次涉及到申请函如何写作的问题。许多同学因为英美文化的环境差异，写出来的申请函总是只能获得7-8分的分数（一般高考这类作文是20分），但是如果您上了这次90分钟的课程，您的写作分数可能可以提高到16分以上。

高考英语多的一分就压死一片人，为了几年后的高考英语分数，我们一起来学习由学而思乐加乐英语杨超老师主讲的申请函的写作吧！

一、课堂一开始，杨超老师就见个问题抛给了孩子们：

1、在什么情况下需要我们写作申请函呢？

2、哪些情况下我们是不需要写邀请函的呢？比如我们想进入大学或者得到一个好的工作，需要写申请函，但是如果我们想参加舞会就不需要了。

二、写作申请函的几个必备要素和申请函的格式

1、介绍你自己include information about yourself

2、写出自己的水平your qualities

3、写出你为什么适合这个机会why you would be suitable for the opportunity

三、总结申请函的结构——三段式

1、写作的目的Purpose / Reason

2、写作的主要含义Body – main idea

3、总结，再次诚恳的申请Conclusion

四、开始动笔啦

认真的写作。我们将会从交上来的作品里，选出最好的作品颁发神秘奖品哦！

五、体验课最后，杨超老师还准备了一篇申请函的范文，让孩子背诵。有孩子当堂背诵出来了！

邀请函格式英语【篇6】

Dear Petty，

I hope you didn’t make any plane for this weekend。 You know I am moving into the new house， and I sincerely invite you to e to my new house。 I will hold a celebration party on Saturday night。 The scenery here is fantastic that I am sure you will like it。 On Saturday， you can walk around my house after you get here。 The party will begin at 7:00。 You can live in my house that night。 On Sunday， we can go fishing or play table tennis。 So please do some preparation for them。 You can drive here and you will see a board “Kelly’s Home” near the road。 It only takes you one hour to get here。 I hope there will be nothing stopping you to e。

Yours affectionately，

亲爱的贝蒂：

期望你这个周末没有什么安排!你明白我就要搬到新房了，我真诚的邀请你来我的新房。星期六晚上我会举行一个庆祝晚会。那里的景色漂亮迷人，我相信你必须会喜欢的。星期六到那里后你能够在我家到处看看。晚会将在7点开始，到时候你能够住在我家。你能够开车过来，然后你会看见路边的一块板上写着“凯丽家”。你到那里只需一个小时，我期望你不会有什么事情而不能来。

Dear sir/madam:

We would like to invite you to an exclusive presentation of our new 。 The presentation will take place at ， at on 。 There will also be a reception at 。 We hope you and your colleagues will be able to attend。

is a leading producer of high-quality 。 As you well know， recent technological advances have made increasingly affordable to the public。 Our new models offer superb quality and sophistication with economy， and their new features give them distinct advantages over similar products from other manufacturers。

We look forward to seeing you on 。 Just call our office at and we will be glad to secure a place for you。

Sincerely yours，

刚刚在给一个客户办理来华签证邀请函，顺便发上来供大家参考。

注：

1，如公司有正式的公函纸，尽量使用公函纸打印;如无，请在word中设置页眉抬头，以确保邀请函正式、得体。

2，那里的邀请函是一般格式的邀请函，对于某些特殊国家(来华签证需要经过个性认证的，如尼日利亚)需到当地对外贸易经济合作局等相关机构领取、下载指定格式的邀请函申请表，然后才能得到对应机构签发的邀请函。

3，附件为word版本的邀请函，下载后自行修改相应信息即可。

Dear Sir of Embassy of China，

We would hereby invite Mr。 Vasilay Santham from GlobalSteel (India) PVT。 Ltd。 to e over to our pany for business activities from 10th Aug， to 10th Sep， 2009。 His information is as following:

He will go back to India soon after his visit。

We would appreciate you a lot for your kind help!

xxx Co。， Ltd。

邀请函格式英语【篇7】

写作要求:

your family is going to give a dinner party at home. gao lu, a famous young calligrapher（书法家）, has been invited. meanwhile（同时）, you also want to invite your foreign friend alice who likes chinese

calligraphy. now write a letter to her inviting her to your dinner party telling her the time and then the brief plan about the party.

write your letter with no less than 100 words. do not sign your own name at the end of the letter, use wu hua instead. you do not need to write the address.?范文呈现：

dear alice,

mr.gao is bringing ④a collection of his own works and has promised to ⑤give us an on-the-spot demonstration of his skills.⑥ im sure youll thoroughly enjoy the evening.

we plan to serve supper at 6:00 so as to have a nice long evening to talk. ⑦ i do hope that you can make it.

yours ever,

wu hua

拾贝译文

① we are inviting...for dinner...我们打算邀请?来吃晚饭。② 如果你能来就太好了。

③ be happy to meet...乐于见到?

④ a collection of his own works几件他自己的作品

⑤ give an on?the?spot demonstration ...现场展示?⑥ 我相信你一定会度过一个愉快的夜晚。

⑦ 希望你一定能来！

邀请函格式英语【篇8】

Dear :

Please accept my apologies for the delay in acknowledging your invitation for on . I have been away form the office and only just returned.

Unfortunately, I have other plans for the date you mention, but shall be happy to make a date for some other convenient time.

Cordially,

亲爱的:

未能对您发来的出席举行的的邀请予以及时答复深表歉意。我因一直外出，刚刚返回。

很遗憾，由于有其他事务安排，故不能赴约。我很愿意在以后方便的时候前去拜会。

邀请函格式英语【篇9】

1.对迟复邀请表示歉意

Apologizing for being unable to give an early reply

Dear [Mr. Jackson]:

Please accept my apologies for the delay in acknowledging your invitation for [lunch/ diner/ cocktails] on [September the fourth, this year]. I have been away from the office and only just returned.

Luckily, I have no other plans for the date you mention, and shall be happy to see you at [6] at the Black Swan Restaurant.

Cordially,

亲爱的[杰克逊先生]:

未能对您发来的出席今年[9月4日]举行的[午宴/晚宴/鸡尾酒会]的邀请给予及时答复深表歉意。我因近期一直在外，刚刚返回。

幸运的是，我在那天没有其他安排，很愿意届时在[黑天鹅餐厅]与您会面。

邀请函格式英语【篇10】

摘要：邀请信包括宴会、舞会、晚餐、聚会、婚礼等各种邀请信件，形式上大体分为两种:一种为正规的格式 (formal correspondence)，亦称请柬;一种是非正式格式 (informal correspondence), 即一般的邀请信。邀请信是在形式上不如请柬那样正规，但也是很考究。

邀请信包括宴会、舞会、晚餐、聚会、婚礼等各种邀请信件，形式上大体分为两种:一种为正规的格式 (formal correspondence)，亦称请柬;一种是非正式格式 (informal correspondence), 即一般的邀请信。邀请信是在形式上不如请柬那样正规，但也是很考究。书写时应注意:

邀请信一定要将邀请的时间(年、月、日、钟点)、地点、场合写清楚，不能使接信人存在任何疑虑。例如:“I’d like you and Bob to come to Luncheon next Friday.”这句话中所指的是哪个星期五并不明确，所以应加上具体日期, “I’d like you and Bob to come to luncheon next Friday, May the fifth.”

1. 邀请朋友共进午餐 Inviting a friend to informal luncheon

Dear [Zhang Ying]:

Will you come to luncheon on [Friday, May the fifth], at [twelve o’clock]?

My niece [Mary] is visiting us and I think you will enjoy meeting her. She is a charming, very pretty girl … and very good company! [John and Jane] will be here, and perhaps we can [give a dance] after luncheon. Do say you’ll come!

Affectionately yours,

Li Ming

亲爱的'[张营]:

您能在[5月5日星期五中午12点钟] 来吃午饭吗?

我侄女[玛丽]正在我们家中作客，我想您会乐于见到她的。她是个漂亮而聪明的女孩子，……同她在一起是很使人高兴的![约翰和简]也到这里来，也许在饭后我们能[开个舞会]，说好，一定得来呀!

2. 邀请朋友同他们不认识的人一起共进晚餐 Inviting friends to supper with the strangers

Dear [Susan]:

I know you are interested in [oil painting], so I’m sure you’ll be interested in [Mr. and Mrs. Lin dun]! They are coming here to supper [next Sunday night, October the twelfth], and we’d like you and [Walter] to come, too.

[Mr. and Mrs. Lin Dun] are that very charming couple we met in [London] last summer. They have a wonderful collection of [oil paintings of various stages]; and I understand that Mr. Lin Dun is quite an authority on [oil painting]. I’m sure you and Walter will thoroughly enjoy and evening in their company.

We’re planning supper at six; that will give us a nice long evening to talk. If I don’t hear from you before then, I’ll be expecting you on the [twelfth]!

Affectionately yours,

Li Ming

亲爱的[苏珊]:

我知道您对[油画]是有兴趣的，所以我相信您对林顿夫妇也会感兴趣。他们将在[10月12日(下星期日)]来吃饭，我们很希望您和瓦尔特也能同来。

[林顿夫妇]是那么好的一对夫妻。我们是去年夏天在[伦敦]认识的。他们集有[各个不同时期精美的油画作品]。我知道，林顿先生在研究[油画]方面是颇有权威的。我深信，那天晚上您和瓦尔特同他们在一起，一定会很愉快。

我们准备在6点钟吃晚饭，这样就能有较长的时间闲谈。如果事前接不到您的回信，我就指望你们那天到来。

3. 邀请参加新厂开工典礼 Invitation to opening ceremony of new factory

Dear [Mr. Harrison]:

Our new factory will be commencing production on [April 10] and we should like to invite [you and your wife] to be present at a celebration to mark the occasion.

As you will appreciate this is an important milestone for this organization, and is the result of continued demand for our products, both at home and overseas. We are inviting all those individuals and trust that you will pay us the compliments of accepting.

Please confirm that you will be able to attend by advising us of your time —— we can arrange for you to be met. All arrangements for your stay [overnight on April 10] will, of course, be made by us at our expense.

Yours faithfully,

亲爱的[哈里森先生]:

本公司新厂将于[4月10日]开始投产，希望能邀请[贤伉俪]来参加新厂开工典礼。

如您所知，新厂的设立是本公司的一个里程碑，而这正是海内外对本公司产品不断需求的结果。我们邀请了所有对本公司的成功贡献一切力量的个人，我们相信，您一定会赏光。

如您确能参加，请来函告知您抵达的时间 —— 以便我们为您安排会晤。当然，所有安排您在[10日晚间]夜宿的费用，皆将由公司代您支付。

4. 邀请来家中小住及周末聚会 An invitation for a house and weekend party

Dear [Jane]:

I hope [you and Fred] haven’t any plan for the weekend of [July twenty-fourth] as we’d like you to spend it with us at [Far Acres]. It’s simply beautiful here now, with everything in bloom!

I think we can promise [Fred] some good fishing this year. The fish are biting better than ever! So bring your fishing clothes; and be sure to bring your tennis things, too, because [the Owens] are coming and I’m sure you’ll want to get out on the courts with them.

There’s a very good train [Friday night]; I’ve marked it in red on the timetable. It gets you here about [seven-thirty] which is just in time for dinner. You can get a late train back [Sunday night], or there’s an early express that [Bob] usually takes on [Monday morning].

We hope nothing will prevent you from coming, as we’re looking forward to your visit … and I know [the Owens] are looking forward to seeing you again, too. Be sure to let us know what train you are taking so that [Bob] can meet you at the station.

Affectionately yours,

亲爱的[简]:

如果您[7月24日]没有什么活动安排，我希望[您和弗雷德]能同我们一起在[远庄园]共度周末，那里已经鲜花遍地，现正在最美丽的时节。

我想，今年我们能让[弗雷德]钓鱼钓得更快活。鱼儿比过去任何时候都爱上钓鱼。请把钓鱼的服装带来，也别忘记带上打网球的用具，因为我们还邀约了[欧文]夫妇，我想，你们是乐意同他们打网球的。

[星期五晚上]有一班舒适的火车，我已经在火车时刻表上做了红色记号，火车大约在[7点半钟]把你们送到这里，正是吃晚饭时间。[星期日晚上]你们可以乘晚车回来。或者，在[星期一早晨]也有一班快车，就是[鲍勃]常坐的那一班车。

我们希望没有什么事情会阻碍你们，我们在等待着你们光临……我知道[欧文夫妇]好盼望再次见到你们。准备乘哪一班火车，请一定告诉我们，好让[鲍勃]到车站迎接你们。

5. 邀请参加招待会 An invitation for a reception

Dear [Mr. Smith]:

It would give [me/us] great pleasure to have your presence at a reception in honor of the Chinese delegation.

The reception will be held in the [the City Hall], on [Tuesday, October the fourth]. Cocktails will be served promptly at [six] to be followed b dinner at [eight].

[I/We] sincerely hope you can attend. Let [me/us] know.

Sincerely yours

亲爱的[史密斯先生]:

如您能够出席为[中国代表团]而举行的招待会，[我(们)]将感到十分荣幸。

招待会定于[10月4日(星期二)]在[市政厅]举行。[6点钟]准时举行[鸡犬不宁尾酒会]， 随之在[8点钟]举行[正式的晚宴]。

[我(们)]期待着您的光临。请提前通知您能否出席。

6. 邀请演讲 Inviting someone to address a meeting

Dear [Dr. Rodger]:

[The English Department of Nankai University] would like to extend to you an invitation to be our guest speaker at the [annual conference] to be held at the [meeting room] at [eight] o’clock, [Saturday morning, December the thirtieth, 1993].

As you know, the department is interested in [the 20th century English literature] Since you are familiar with the field, we know your views will be extremely interesting to us.

You will receive further details later, but we would appreciate having your acceptance soon so we may complete our agenda.

Cordially,

亲爱的[罗杰博士]:

[南开大学外文系]特邀请您出席[1993年12月30日(星期六)早八点在(系会议室)]召开的[学术年会]并作演讲。

正如您所了解的，[南大外文系]对[20世纪的英国文学颇感兴趣]。您对此领域很熟悉，您的见解定会给我们带来很大的兴趣。

我们将随后把有关细节通知您，但恳请您尽快予以答复，以便作出安排。

邀请函格式英语【篇11】

Write a letter to one of your high school classmates who is in a nearby city, and invite him/her to your city at this weekend. Some necessary details must be included. Do not sign your own name at the end of your letter, using “Li Ming” instead.

Sample:

Dear Linda,

We haven’t seen each other for six years after graduation. I am so glad to hear that you have graduated from UCLA and come back to work in Suzhou. If you are free this Saturday, please come to Shanghai and have a good time with me.

We can first go to the Century Park, where the flowers are all in blossom. Let’s go boating on the lake —isn’t it pleasant in the cool breeze? Then I will treat you to dinner at a western restaurant on Huaihai Road—it is small but really nice—I’m sure you will enjoy it. After dinner, let’s go to a concert—you are a music lover, aren’t you?

If you couldn’t come, please notify me before Friday. If you can, please tell me which train you will take and I will meet you at the railway station.

I am looking forward to meeting you.

Sincerely yours,

Li Ming

语言注意点:

邀请信叙事一定要清楚、明白。如写给朋友，可选用活泼、真诚的言辞;如写给长辈、上级、名人等，则语言应正式、礼貌。

邀请函格式英语【篇12】

“20xx年6月5日是哈佛大学的毕业典礼，请来的演讲嘉宾是《哈利波特》的作者J.K.罗琳女士。她的演讲题目是《失败的好处和想象的重要性》（The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination）。她几乎没有谈到哈里波特，而是说了年轻时的一些经历。虽然J·K·罗琳现在很有钱，是英国仅次于女皇的最富有的女人，但是她曾经有一段非常艰辛的日子，30岁了，还差点流落街头。她主要谈的是，自己从这段经历中学到的东西。”

以下是英文文稿和中文翻译：

Text as delivered follows.

Copyright of JK Rowling, June 20xx

President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, proud parents, and, above all, graduates,

The first thing I would like to say is thank you.Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour, but the weeks of fear and nausea I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. A win-win situation! Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners and convince myself that I am at the worlds largest Gryffindor reunion.

Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility; or so I

thought until I cast my mind back to my own graduation. The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished British philosopher Baroness Mary Warnock. Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormously in writing this one, because it turns out that I cant remember a single word she said. This liberating discovery enables me to proceed without any fear that I might inadvertently influence you to abandon promising careers in business, the law or politics for the giddy delights of becoming a gay wizard.

You seeIf all you remember in years to come is the gay wizardjoke, Ive come out ahead of Baroness Mary Warnock. Achievable goals: the first step to self improvement.

acked my mind and heart for what I ought to say to you today. I have asked myself what I wish I had known at my own graduation, and what important lessons I have learned in the 21 years that have expired between that day and this.

I have come up with two answers. On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure. And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called real life, I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination.

These may seem quixotic or paradoxical choices, but please bear with me.

Looking back at the 21-year-old that I was at graduation, is a slightly uncomfortable experience for the 42-year-old that she has become. Half my lifetime ago, I was striking an uneasy balance between the ambition I had for myself, and what those closest to me expected of me. I was convinced that the only thing I wanted to do, ever, was to write novels. However, my parents, both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing personal quirk that would never pay a mortgage, or secure a pension. I know that the irony strikes with the force of a cartoon anvil, now.

So they hoped that I would take a vocational degree; I wanted to study English Literature. A compromise was reached that in retrospect satisfied nobody, and I went up to study Modern Languages. Hardly had my parentscar rounded the corner at the end of the road than I ditched German and scuttled off down the Classics corridor.

I cannot remember telling my parents that I was studying Classics; they might well have found out for the first time on graduation day. Of all the subjects on this planet, I think they would have been hard put to name one less useful than Greek mythology when it came to securing the keys to an executive bathroom.

I would like to make it clear, in parenthesis, that I do not blame my parents for their point of view. There is an expiry date on blaming your

parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you. What is more, I cannot criticise my parents for hoping that I would never experience poverty. They had been poor themselves, and I have since been poor, and I quite agree with them that it is not an ennobling experience. Poverty entails fear, and stress, and sometimes depression; it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships. Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts, that is indeed something on which to pride yourself, but poverty itself is romanticised only by fools.

What I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty, but failure. At your age, in spite of a distinct lack of motivation at university, where I had spent far too long in the coffee bar writing stories, and far too little time at lectures, I had a knack for passing examinations, and that, for years, had been the measure of success in my life and that of my peers.

I am not dull enough to suppose that because you are young, gifted and well-educated, you have never known hardship or heartbreak. Talent and intelligence never yet inoculated anyone against the caprice of the Fates, and I do not for a moment suppose that everyone here has enjoyed an existence of uuffled privilege and contentment.

However, the fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you are not very well-acquainted with failure. You might be driven by

a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for success. Indeed, your conception of failure might not be too far from the average persons idea of success, so high have you already flown.

Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it. So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.

Now, I am not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun. That period of my life was a dark one, and I had no idea that there was going to be what the press has since represented as a kind of fairy tale resolution. I had no idea then how far the tunnel extended, and for a long time, any light at the end of it was a hope rather than a reality. So why do I talk about the benefits of failureSimply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the

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