Suwałki Governorate
Born in Trempiniai in Suwałki Governorate, Venclova studied Lithuanian, Russian and French at the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. In 1936, he visited the Soviet Union, becoming fascinated with the Soviet system and its culture. Before the outbreak of World War II, he worked as a teacher and was the editor of the procommunist journals "Trečias frontas" (Third Front) and "Prošvaistė".