Editing Dziga Vertov (section)

===Early years===
Vertov was born David Abelevich Kaufman into a [[Jew]]ish family in [[Białystok]], [[Congress Poland|Poland]], then a part of the [[Russian Empire]]. He [[Russification|Russified]] his Jewish name and [[patronymic]], David Abelevich, to '''Denis Arkadievich''' at some point after 1918.<ref>Early Soviet Cinema; Innovation, Ideology and Propaganda by David Gillespie Wallflower Press London 2005, page 57</ref> Vertov studied music at Białystok Conservatory until his family fled from the invading [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]] to [[Moscow]] in 1915. The Kaufmans soon settled in [[Saint Petersburg|Petrograd]], where Vertov began writing [[poetry]], [[science fiction]], and [[satire]]. In 1916–1917 Vertov was studying medicine at the Psychoneurological Institute in Saint Petersburg and experimenting with "sound collages" in his free time. He eventually adopted the name "Dziga Vertov", which translates loosely from [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] as 'spinning top'.<ref>Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction: A Very Short Introduction by Patricia Aufderheide; Oxford University Press, 28 November 2007, page 37</ref>