Lennard Bickel

Lennard Bickel was an Australian writer and science commentator, known for his books that highlighted remarkable human achievements and epics of triumph over adversity. He was a science writer for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The Australian newspaper in the 1960s, and was the only Australian journalist invited to witness the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing from the launch site. Bickel's work often focused on bringing historical events and the stories of often-forgotten heroes to life, with a particular interest in Australian figures and scientific endeavors. His writing style is described as captivating and engaging, with a talent for explaining complex scientific and historical information in an accessible way. He received a Commonwealth Literary Fellowship in 1970 to write a biography of Howard Florey, the pioneer of penicillin. Bickel also wrote acclaimed biographies of Antarctic explorers like Douglas Mawson and Ernest Shackleton, as well as works on Norman Borlaug and Louis Braille. He was made a 'Knight of Mark Twain' for his biography of Norman Borlaug.