[1] In 1938—1941 he was a student at MIFLI, the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature, and History [hy; pl; ru; uk].
He tried to volunteer for the army when the war with Finland broke out, but was refused for health reasons.
There he contracted the typhoid fever and was evacuated to Samarkand, where he studied at a pedagogical college after his recovery.
He remained on the active duty until the end of the war and was wounded several times.
He has translated literature from Estonian authors such as Lydia Koidula, Jaan Kross, Ellen Niit, Paul-Eerik Rummo and others, as well as from Polish, Czech, Hungarian and other languages as well as running workshops for young writers.