From Doon Valley to the Land of Fire and Ice: Novelist Dr Ruby Gupta finds Inspiration in Iceland

Dr Ruby Gupta during her creative residency in Iceland.
(Photo: Special Arrangement)
my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun, 7 Jul: Every writer dreams of finding a place where time slows down, silence becomes a companion and imagination is allowed to wander. For Dehradun-based crime novelist Dr Ruby Gupta, that place turned out to be Gullkistan – Center for Creativity in Iceland, where she recently completed an international creative residency after being selected for the programme.
Dr Gupta, Professor and Head, Department of Humanities, ACC Wing, Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, spent June at the internationally acclaimed artist residency in Laugarvatn, a picturesque town in the famous Golden Circle region of South Iceland. Surrounded by volcanic mountains, glacial rivers, lava fields and centuries-old folklore, she devoted the month to researching and developing her next mystery novel.
Gullkistan – Center for Creativity, Laugarvatn, South Iceland, where DrRuby Gupta completed an international creative residency.Photo courtesy: Gullkistan – Center for Creativity
Established in 2009, Gullkistan has emerged as one of Iceland’s leading international artist-run residencies. It has welcomed more than 700 creative practitioners from over 40 countries, bringing together writers, visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, photographers, designers, architects, curators and scientists in an environment dedicated to independent creative practice and artistic exchange. The residency is also a member of the global Res Artis network.
With this residency, Dr Gupta joins a distinguished international alumni community that includes International Booker Prize-winning author Geetanjali Shree, Icelandic Literary Prize-winning novelist Hallgrímur Helgason, award-winning Spanish novelist Cristina Sánchez-Andrade, and Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning American writer Kij Johnson.
A former journalist, Dr Gupta has authored ten books, including the crime novels A Degree in Death, No Illusions in Xanadu (Bloomsbury), The Secret of Leifeng Pagoda and Love & Crime. Her fiction is known for weaving together crime investigation with history, espionage, psychology and military themes. The Secret of Leifeng Pagoda, inspired by the mysterious deaths of Indian nuclear scientists, is currently under screen adaptation.
For Dr Gupta, Iceland was more than a beautiful destination. Its dramatic contrasts of glaciers and volcanoes, ancient sagas and quiet villages offered a setting that encouraged observation, reflection and storytelling.
“Gullkistan offered me something increasingly rare in today’s world—silence, time and creative freedom. Iceland’s stark landscape, with its striking contrasts of fire and ice, feeds the soul and sharpens the imagination. Living there and exchanging ideas with artists from different cultures enriched both my research and my perspective as a crime writer,” she said.
This is not the first time Dr Gupta has represented India on an international literary platform. She earlier served as International Writer-in-Residence at the Agatha Christie Festival in England. Her latest residency further strengthens her engagement with the global literary community while she continues to balance teaching at the Indian Military Academy with a prolific writing career.
For Dehradun, a city that has nurtured generations of writers, educators and thinkers, Dr Gupta’s journey from the Doon Valley to one of Europe’s most distinctive creative residencies is another reminder that stories born in the Himalayas can find inspiration and readers across the world.