Images from a literary pilgrimage that took Joshua Marcus to the world of Gabriel García Márquez.

The gallery images are from a literary pilgrimage that took Joshua Marcus to the world of Gabriel García Márquez. Amongst the Colombian writer's most formative experiences growing up were his journeys up and down The Magdalena River. These memories had profound influence on his work.

In "The General in His Labyrinth," Simon Bolívar, the South American Liberator, travels down The Magdalena for the last journey of his life. In "Love in The Time of Cholera," Florentino Ariza takes two river journeys at the opposite ends of his life. Both of them profoundly impact his unrequited love for Fermina Daza.

The Magdalena is one of the most traumatized regions in Colombia. What then is the value of literature, of art, in areas where the primary concern is survival? García Márquez said, "I think a novel is reality represented through a secret code." When we try to decipher this secret code, we find that art can grant us the ability to thrive within the insurmountable problems of reality.

I hope these photographs begin to show this.

All of these photos in a variety of print sizes are available for purchase at joshuamarcus.net.

Written works from this project are in the pipeline. A blog from the trip can be found here.

For an individual perspective about ethical travel, see ecotripping.com.

All photos © 2008 Joshua Marcus, unless indicated otherwise.