Francesco Colonna (c. 1433–1527) was an Italian Dominican priest, monk, and writer who spent much of his life in Venice. He is historically celebrated as the presumed author of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a complex, mysterious, and richly illustrated Renaissance romance. His authorship of this enigmatic text was famously encoded within the book itself, revealed by an acrostic formed by the initial letters of each successive chapter.\n\nColonna's ecclesiastical career was centered in Venice, where he preached at the historic St. Mark's Cathedral. He spent a significant portion of his life associated with the Dominican monastery of San Giovanni e Paolo. However, because this particular monastery did not maintain the strictest observance of monastic discipline, Colonna was eventually granted leave to live outside its cloistered walls.\n\nBeyond his famous Italian romance, Colonna also authored Delfili Somnium ("The Dream of Delfilo"), a Latin epic poem. This work remained unpublished during his lifetime and was only recovered and published centuries later, in 1959. Colonna's life and the mystery surrounding his literary contributions have continued to capture modern imaginations, serving as a central plot element in contemporary fiction such as Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason's novel The Rule of Four.
