Background
Ronen was born in Odessa in 1937 into a Hungarian Jewish family. His father was the biochemist Emerich (Imre) Szörényi (January 12, 1905 – January 17, 1959), known for his work on muscle physiology.
Ronen was born in Odessa in 1937 into a Hungarian Jewish family. His father was the biochemist Emerich (Imre) Szörényi (January 12, 1905 – January 17, 1959), known for his work on muscle physiology.
Harvard University.
From 1934 to 1953, the family lived in the Soviet Union, where Emerich Szörényi headed the tissue protein research department of the Institute of Biochemistry and the biochemistry department of the Institute of Microbiology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. In 1950, he was appointed head of the newly established Institute of Biochemistry in Hungary, however, he was only able to return to Hungary with his family in 1953. Ronen started his undergraduate studies in Budapest University.
He took part in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and fled to Israel after the uprising was suppressed.
He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in linguistics and English literature from Hebrew University and his Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic languages and literatures from Harvard. From 1972 to 1985, he was professor at Hebrew University.
In 1985 he became a Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he remained until his death.