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You will love this book if you enjoy dream journeys, ruins and secret symbols, or if you like to see how Renaissance minds pictured love, knowledge and the ancient world.
Che cos’è questo libro
What would you do if you woke inside a dream, lost in a dark wood, then drawn from a river by a song? That is where Poliphilus finds himself in Hypnerotomachia, a richly detailed romance written by Francesco Colonna in the Renaissance. The title means the strife of love in a dream.
Poliphilus loves Polia and cannot reach her. He falls asleep and passes through a wood, a ruined pyramid, a dragon's dark vault and a queen's court, studying carved stones, riddles and gardens as he goes. You will see what lies beneath the marble and flowers: desire, reason, time and the longing to understand.
In questo riassunto
- 1A lover sleeps and wanders into a woodFree
- 2Strange monuments hide riddles about work and love
- 3A dragon drives him through the dark
- 4Five nymphs welcome him and test his senses
- 5The queen's court shows wealth, order and play
- 6Two guides explain secrets and offer three gates
- 7A torch bearing nymph leads him to four triumphs
- 8Desire and reason pull against each other
- 9Ruins and carvings speak of time and vanity
- 10A dream told in lists, riddles and many languages
Punto chiave 1 di 10
A lover sleeps and wanders into a wood
The book opens with a sleepless night. Poliphilus grieves for Polia, a woman he loves and cannot find. At last he sleeps and dreams himself onto a still green plain, with no person or house in sight.
The plain leads him into a dense wood where the branches shut out the sun. He thinks of wolves and of the Minotaur, and he calls on Ariadne to send him a thread. He breaks free, thirsty, and reaches a river. As he lifts water to his mouth, he hears a song of unearthly sweetness. He runs after it, but the nearer he comes, the farther it moves. Worn out, he sleeps again, a dream inside the dream.
He dreams he is in a lovelier valley and finds a vast pyramid of white marble, covered with weeds, lizards and fallen statues. A bronze nymph turns on its top and rings like a bell. Longing leads him on, and the dream frightens and rewards him by turns. Desire can lead a person away from the very thing he came for.
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Go deeper: the whole of Hypnerotomachia: La strife d’amore in sogno
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Who’s who
- Poliphilus
- A sleepless lover who dreams his way through ruins and palaces, looking for his beloved Polia and reading every sign he meets.
- Polia
- The woman Poliphilus loves and cannot find, whose image stays fixed in his heart and shapes every choice he makes.
- Queen Eutherillida
- A generous queen who welcomes the weary Poliphilus, feasts him and sends him on to the three gates to seek his love.
- Logistica
- A wise nymph who explains riddles and gardens to Poliphilus and warns him sharply against fleeting pleasure.
- Thelemia
- A smiling nymph, partner to Logistica, who flatters Poliphilus, encourages his wishes and promises that he will find what he seeks.
- Aphea
- The first of the five nymphs who find Poliphilus in the meadow, welcome him and lead him to the baths.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 59,900 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h 10 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Hypnerotomachia: La strife d’amore in sogno
What is Hypnerotomachia about?
It tells of a lover named Poliphilus who dreams of wandering through a wood, a ruined pyramid, a queen's palace and a land of lovers, always searching for his beloved Polia and reading symbols along the way.
What does Hypnerotomachia mean?
The word combines Greek roots for sleep, love and battle, and the subtitle gives it as the strife of love in a dream. It names a long dream in which love struggles with fear, reason and desire.
Who are Poliphilus and Polia?
Poliphilus is the dreamer and narrator, a lover whose name suggests loving many things. Polia is the woman he longs for, and he keeps wondering whether the torch-bearing nymph might be her.
Is the book full of riddles and symbols?
Yes, in a good way. Inscriptions in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic, along with hieroglyphs, appear throughout, and guides such as Logistica explain many of them, so the reader can learn to decode them along with Poliphilus.
What is the main message of the book?
The dream shows that love and the senses are powerful, that reason offers a steadier guide, and that ruins remind us how brief worldly things are. Looking closely and thinking carefully is the way to meaning.
Cite this edition
Colonna, Francesco. Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Love in a Dream. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/hypnerotomachia-the-strife-of-love-in-a-dream.
Colonna, F. (2026). Hypnerotomachia: The strife of love in a dream. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hypnerotomachia-the-strife-of-love-in-a-dream (Original work published ca. 1499)
Colonna, Francesco. Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Love in a Dream. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hypnerotomachia-the-strife-of-love-in-a-dream.
@book{colonna2026hypnerotomachia,
author = {Colonna, Francesco},
title = {Hypnerotomachia: The Strife of Love in a Dream},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hypnerotomachia-the-strife-of-love-in-a-dream},
note = {First published ca. 1499}
}
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Get the full summary of Hypnerotomachia: La strife d’amore in sogno, free
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