John Cox, NDSU professor of history, has translated a book titled “The Cherry Tree,” which was published by North Dakota Quarterly, the University of North Dakota’s literary magazine. It is the first time the novel by Sorbian author Jurij Koch has been translated from German into English.

The novel was originally published in East Germany in 1984. It is the second volume in a new series of works published in collaboration with The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota.

“This book is witness to the diversity and shared life of different ethnic groups in modern Germany and one of Germany’s best-kept secrets,” Cox said.

Readers can download a copy of the new translation for free or purchase it as a low-cost paperback.

“NDQ has long straddled the line between academic and popular works,” said Bill Caraher, UND associate professor of history and editor of North Dakota Quarterly. “Cox’s translation of Koch’s ‘The Cherry Tree’ is a great example of the kind of fertile ground that exists at this intersection. The novella is a serious work of literature deserving of critical appreciation, but also the kind of work that is accessible to a wider audience.”

Cox joined the NDSU faculty in 2007. His specialty is modern Europe, and he has taught courses about the Holocaust, modern political ideology, Russia and history through film and literature.

He earned his bachelor’s degree at Guilford College and his master’s degree and doctorate in East European history at Indiana University. He also was a Rotary Foundation scholar at the University of Szeged, Hungary.

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