Two novellas by Tanizaki using the diary form. I found The Key a bit annoying since the husband and wife echo each other so much in their diary entries--Tanizaki missed a good opportunity to differentiate the characters and make them more dynamic. That being said, the story is interesting and fast moving. Diary of an Old Man is much better and might be read with Kawabata's Sound of the Mountain, which is more subtle but which addresses many of the same themes. ( )