Albert Eschenmoser (1925–2023) Autobiography: Concluding Remarks

How this autobiography came about: the backstory The existence of this autobiography of Albert Eschenmoser, a universally recognized giant of 20th-century chemistry, is the result of a remarkable series of activities prior to and beyond Albert’s death on July 14, 2023. For over a decade, he had reflected upon his entire life and had written an impressive personal account in German, his mother tongue, including a comprehensive chapter on his professional life “for the sake of its existence.” To have the professional chapter of his autobiography made available was not his original intention. What follows is a chronology of the events that ultimately convinced him to publish that chapter in English in the “Lives in Chemistry” series and thus led to the creation of the book you now hold in your hand. This endeavor engaged a team of four longstanding friends of his in the joint project of translating the original text and preparing it for publication — thus memorializing Albert’s legacy. The goal of this narrative is to delineate the massive effort invested by Albert and our team that was required to have the original manuscript made suitable for publication. It all started in an e-mail dated September 24, 2021, when Albert Eschenmoser asked Scott E. Denmark (SED) [...]. Note: This is the opening passage of the chapter.