Chapter 22 of Bolanyo is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of Bolanyo is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE THICKET. Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day. And for what end? To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes. The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
Chapter 22 of Bolanyo is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.”
the act of closing something
From this reading “The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.”
a long fixed look
From this reading “To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes.”
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading “The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.”
(plural) something that reminds you of someone or something
From this reading “Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.”
a building with a bar that is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks
From this reading “The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.”
a dense growth of bushes
From this reading “IN THE THICKET.”
lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
From this reading “To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes.”
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.
tear down so as to make flat with the ground
In this reading “Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.”
In this reading “IN THE THICKET.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And for what end?
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
the act of closing something
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading And for what end?
opinion or judgment
From this reading To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
a long fixed look
From this reading To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE THICKET.
come together
From this reading To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
(plural) something that reminds you of someone or something
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
make square
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
a building with a bar that is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE THICKET.
a dense growth of bushes
From this reading IN THE THICKET.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes.
lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
From this reading To meet the gaze of vulgar eyes.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The tavern bells had rung the supper hour, and doors were closing about the public square.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And for what end?
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Alone in my room I sat, with the window shades pulled down, waiting for the coming of another day.
Chapter 22 of Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 22 holds 150 sentences of Bolanyo, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 22 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.
