Hypnerotomachia Polyphili

The Strife of Love in a Dream

Poliphilo kneels before Queen Eleuterylida
Author	Francesco Colonna
Original title	Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, ubi humana omnia non nisi somnium esse docet. Atque obiter plurima scitu sane quam digna commemorat.
Translator	Joscelyn Godwin
Country	Italy
Language	Italian / Latin
Genre	Romance, allegorical fantasy
Publisher	Aldus Manutius
Publication date	1499
Published in English	1999
Media type	Print (hardcover)

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (/hiːpˌnɛəroʊtəˈmɑːkiːə pəˈliːfəˌliː/; from Greek hýpnos, 'sleep', érōs, 'love', and máchē, 'fight'), called in English Poliphilo's Strife of Love in a Dream or The Dream of Poliphilus, is a romance said to be by Francesco Colonna. It is a famous example of an Incunable (a work of early printing). The work was first published in 1499 in Venice. This first edition has an elegant page layout, with refined woodcut illustrations in an Early Renaissance style. Hypnerotomachia Poliphili presents a mysterious arcane allegory in which the main protagonist, Poliphilo pursues his love, Polia, through a dreamlike landscape. In the last, he is reconciled with her by the "Fountain of Venus".

The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili was printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice in December 1499. The author of the book is anonymous. However, an acrostic formed by the first, elaborately decorated letter in each chapter in the original Italian reads "POLIAM FRATER FRANCISCVS COLVMNA PERAMAVIT", which means "Brother Francesco Colonna has dearly loved Polia". Despite this clue, the book has also been attributed to Leon Battista Alberti, and earlier, to Lorenzo de Medici. The latest contribution concerning the identity of author is an attribution to Aldus Manutius. In this case, Francesco Colonna, would be a wealthy Roman governor. The identity of the illustrator is less certain than that of the author.