2666 Translation Question

Reader Jenny writes in with this question about the translation of a particular passage:

I have this one quotation marked and I wonder if the original is any clearer?  I don’t have access to the Spanish language version.

“…He gazed at his wife and had the vague impression he didn’t know her. But he knew her, there could be no doubt about that. … He knew her, of course he did, it was just that sometimes reality, the same little reality that served to anchor reality, seemed to fade around the edges, as if the passage of time had a porous effect on things, and blurred and made more insubstantial what was itself already, by its very nature, insubstantial and satisfactory and real.” -Robert Bolano, 2666, pg. 582

I’m most curious if all the “reality” instances are the same word in the Spanish.

Can anyone help her out? I’m curious, too.

Weeks 8-10 Vocabulary

by Meaghan Doyle

alkaloid any of numerous usually colorless, complex, and bitter organic bases
Anthropomtric measurement of the human individual for the purposes of understanding human physical variation
auricle an atrium of a heart
autodidact a self-taught person
bolus a rounded mass: as a : a large pill b : a soft mass of chewed food
bracken a large coarse fern
calamitous being, causing, or accompanied by a state of deep distress or misery caused by major misfortune or loss
calumny a misrepresentation intended to harm another’s reputation
capillaries any of the smallest blood vessels connecting arterioles with venules and forming networks throughout the body
coquettish a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men
corolla the part of a flower that consists of the separate or fused petals and constitutes the inner whorl of the perianth
cyclopean huge, massive
diuretic tending to increase the excretion of urine
divination the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers
ecchymosis the escape of blood into the tissues from ruptured blood vessels
epithelium a membranous cellular tissue that covers a free surface or lines a tube or cavity of an animal body and serves especially to enclose and protect the other parts of the body, to produce secretions and excretions, and to function in assimilation
esplanade a level open stretch of paved or grassy ground; especially : one designed for walking or driving along a shore
excrescences a projection or outgrowth especially when abnormal
festering to undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration
harangued to speak pompously or bombastically
hematomas a mass of usually clotted blood that forms in a tissue, organ, or body space as a result of a broken blood vessel
hypovolemia a state of decreased blood volume
impervious not capable of being affected or disturbed
louche not reputable or decent
neuropathies an abnormal and usually degenerative state of the nervous system or nerves
odontology study of dental applications in legal proceedings
pachucos a young Mexican-American having a taste for flashy clothes and a special jargon and usually belonging to a neighborhood gang
palatine of, relating to, or lying near the palate
pestilential giving rise to vexation or annoyance
portend indicate, signify
posole a thick soup chiefly of Mexico and the United States Southwest made with pork, hominy, garlic, and chili
presentiment a feeling that something will or is about to happen
proliferation to increase in number
putrefaction the decomposition of organic matter
resoundingly producing or characterized by resonant sound
rudimentary very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
stoic not affected by or showing passion or feeling
surreptitious acting or doing something clandestinely
unequivocal leaving no doubt
vehemently marked by forceful energy : powerful
ventriloquist one who provides entertainment by using ventriloquism to carry on an apparent conversation with a hand-manipulated dummy
verisimilitude depicting realism
vermillion a bright red pigment consisting of mercuric sulfide
virulent objectionably harsh or strong



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