In some respects, it’s kind of a shame he came to America and had to perform to make a living. It really diminished the time he had to be able to compose. But, I suppose if he remained in Russia, he would have been banned or something.
There is a movie about his life called “Harvest of Sorrow”.
I am waiting for it to become available on netflix.
Given his background, family and religious faith, it is highly unlikely he would have survived the Communist purges.