I was very pleased to see that Stuart Dybek, author of I Sailed with Magellan and The Coast of Chicago, among other books of fiction and poetry, has been granted a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship. I’ve long been an admirer of Dybek’s work, and had the opportunity to talk with him several months ago when we were both reading and doing panels at the North Dakota Writers Conference. He’s a warm person and a writer of extraordinary insight.

The beauty of Dybek’s language, which is energetic and often incantatory, is matched by the humaneness with which he treats his characters. Dybek’s settings, though tough, bristle with beauty. His characters, unflaggingly realistic, are laid bare on the page in their most vulnerable moments. It is a pleasure to see such work rewarded.