The Key (Tanizaki novel)

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First edition

The Key (Kagi, 鍵) is a novel written by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki in 1956. The book was translated into English by Howard Hibbett and published by Vintage International Books.

Synopsis

The entire story is written in diary form, alternating between the entries of an elderly man who decides to spice up his ailing marriage with a series of intrigues and that of his much younger wife, who complies with her husband's desires without letting him know she is aware of his schemes, eventually having an affair with their prospective son-in-law.

Film adaptations

• The story was made into the 1959 film, Odd Obsession, directed by Kon Ichikawa.
• This novel was also the basis for the 1983 movie of the same name by Italian director Tinto Brass, with the story relocated to Fascist Italy.
• A 2014 movie of the same name, directed by American Jefery Levy, was loosely based on the novel.

Characters

• The Husband
• Ikuko, his wife
• Toshiko, their daughter
• Mr. Kimura, the daughter's (potential) fiancé.

References

• Hibbett, Howard, trans. "The Key". Tanizaki Junichiro. New York: Vintage, 2004
• "Visions of Desire: Tanizaki's Fictional Worlds". Ito, Ken. Stanford University Press, 1991