His family moved often and he spent most of his childhood in the villages of modern-day Ukraine, amidst sugar-beet plantations, far from centers of culture.
Keluarganya sering berpindah tempat tinggal dan ia menghabiskan sebagian besar masa kecilnya di desa-desa di Ukraina, di tengah perkebunan bit, jauh dari pusat-pusat kebudayaan.