Often compared to Saul Bellow and Theodore Dreiser for his unique portrayal of setting and landscapes, Dybek is "among the first writers of Polish descent (who write about the ethnic self) to receive national recognition."
After teaching for more than 30 years at Western Michigan University, where he remains an Adjunct Professor of English and a member of the permanent faculty of the Prague Summer Program, Dybek became the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Northwestern University where he teaches at the School of Professional Studies.
Bob Johnson says he has always been a writer ... The reviewer, Stuart Dybek, had numerous good things to say about the stories, the characters and the action. “There’s an entertaining cinematic quality to these narratives,” Dybek wrote ... We had about 60.”.