Chapter 20 of Bolanyo is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Bolanyo is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GLEANING THE FIELD. A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark. It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop. But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt. "Come in," said Vark.
Chapter 20 of Bolanyo is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
shaped or worked with a hammer and often showing hammer marks
From this reading “But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.”
desert shrub of Syria and Arabia having small white flowers; constitutes the juniper of the Old Testament; sometimes placed in genus Genista
From this reading “It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.”
known widely and usually unfavorably
From this reading “It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.”
plural of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.”
introduce
From this reading “It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.”
a person who makes or repairs shoes
From this reading “It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.”
a brief indulgence of your impulses
From this reading “It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.”
anything that resembles a vagabond in having no fixed place
From this reading “A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.”
to come or go into
In this reading “"Come in," said Vark.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
later than; following
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come in," said Vark.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading GLEANING THE FIELD.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GLEANING THE FIELD.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
shaped or worked with a hammer and often showing hammer marks
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
desert shrub of Syria and Arabia having small white flowers; constitutes the juniper of the Old Testament; sometimes placed in genus Genista
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
engage in
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
American Revolutionary leader from Virginia whose objections led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights (1725-1792)
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
known widely and usually unfavorably
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
plural of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
operate an airplane
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
introduce
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Come in," said Vark.
a person who makes or repairs shoes
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
do one's shopping
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
a brief indulgence of your impulses
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading GLEANING THE FIELD.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
anything that resembles a vagabond in having no fixed place
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A vagabond artist came to town and I employed him to make sketches of Peters, Mason and Vark.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was easy to get a pose from the pilot and the notorious one, but after his "juniper spree" the shoemaker had locked himself in his shop.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But we hammered his door day after day, and one morning we heard the sliding of the bolt.
Chapter 20 of Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 20 holds 112 sentences of Bolanyo, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38826 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38826, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 690 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bolanyo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Bolanyo to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Bolanyo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
