In 1912, Polish-American book dealer Wilfrid Voynich purchased a mysterious 15th-century illustrated codex from a Jesuit college in Italy. The vellum manuscript features unknown script, bizarre botanical drawings, astronomical diagrams, and nude figures in baths, defying decipherment despite centuries of study. Likely created in Central Europe around 1404-1438, it had passed through owners like Emperor Rudolf II. Its rediscovery sparked global fascination with undeciphered texts and possible alchemical or herbal secrets.

The Voynich Manuscript has inspired speculative fiction, poetry, and literary hoaxes exploring lost languages and esoteric knowledge, influencing modernist and postmodern poets fascinated by cryptograms and the limits of meaning. It echoes in works by authors like Jorge Luis Borges on infinite libraries and undecipherable texts, enriching experimental poetry and themes of mystery in 20th-century literature.