 First edition | |
| 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 |
| Language | Italian / Latin |
| Genre | Romance, allegorical fantasy |
| Publisher | Aldus Manutius |
Publication date | 1499 |
| Publication place | Italy |
Published in English | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (/hiːpˌnɛəroʊtəˈmɑːkiːə pəˈliːfəˌliː/; from Ancient Greek ὕπνος hýpnos 'sleep' ἔρως érōs 'love' and μάχη máchē 'fight'), called in English Poliphilo's Strife of Love in a Dream or The Dream of Poliphilus, is a book 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 by Aldus Manutius. 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 end, he is reconciled with her by the "Fountain of Venus".