As quoted in “When Writers Turn to Brave New Forms” by Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times (24 March 1986)
“
There's a crystallization that goes on in a poem which the young man can bring off, but which the middle-aged man can't.
— John Updike
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "There's a crystallization that goes on in a poem which the young man can bring off, but which the middle-aged man can't." in the context of "As quoted in “When Writers Turn to Brave New Forms” by Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times (24 March 1986)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John Updike" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About John Updike
John Hoyer Updike (18 March 1932 – 27 January 2009) was an American novelist, poet, critic and short-story writer.
About John Updike
John Hoyer Updike (18 March 1932 – 27 January 2009) was an American novelist, poet, critic and short-story writer.
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