Michael (Mishe) Lev was born in 1917 in the Ukraine, in Pohrebysche. He studied Yiddish language and literature in Moscow, and worked at a Yiddish publishing house, where his first publications appeared. During World War II Lev fought in the Russian army, was taken prisoner, escaped, and joined the partisans. His wartime experiences became the main theme of his writings. He has published 17 books in Yiddish, Russian and Hebrew.