At the 7th National Book Awards 2024, the work "The Teacher" by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh won the C prize and the Readers' Favorite Book award.
Attending the award ceremony were the author's wife - Ms. Dang Thi Minh Ngoc - and daughter, family members.
Sharing with Lao Dong reporter, Ms. Minh Ngoc said that Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh started writing the book after his retirement. She said she was very moved when the book was honored in 2 categories at the 2024 National Book Awards.
"Mr. Vinh has cherished writing about his teacher for a long time. When he started writing, he did not have to think too much, because he is also a regular writer of books and articles.
The writing process was also the time when he was being treated for his illness, but he still worked, still wrote and revised the manuscript. During more than 2 months in the hospital, he completed the manuscript. The family is deeply saddened that he was not able to witness the readers receiving this book."
Talking about Mr. Ba Quoc - Major General Dang Tran Duc, Hero of the People's Armed Forces, Ms. Minh Ngoc said he was like a second father to Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh.
She shared that from lessons learned in work and life, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh always wanted to do something to repay Mr. Ba Quoc's contributions.
According to Ms. Minh Ngoc, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh was a person who loved literature, read books diligently, and did scientific work. After retiring, the Senior Lieutenant General started writing the book "The Teacher", still taking time to rest, watch music, and take care of his family.
"When he discovered his illness, Mr. Vinh still tried to complete the book. When he boarded the plane to go for treatment, he opened the manuscript and edited it right on the plane because he wanted to complete it during his treatment. He was passionate about writing, sitting at the table after taking his medicine every morning.
The book "The Teacher" not only tells the story of Mr. Ba Quoc - a hero in the intelligence industry, but also recreates Mr. Vinh's own life, how he struggled and worked on the Cambodian battlefield," said the wife of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh.
While the General was undergoing treatment, Ms. Dang Thi Minh Ngoc rented a house near the hospital for convenient care. She said the apartment had only one bedroom, but it was also the General's workplace, because he "worked seriously and effectively even when seriously ill."
Not only is she the closest reader to Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Ms. Minh Ngoc witnessed the process of his "conception" and completion of the book, and his confidences about his intelligence teacher.
Ms. Minh Ngoc choked up when receiving the National Book Award on behalf of her husband, and shared her feelings of honor, pride, and emotion when his work was well received by readers.
In the book about Mr. Ba Quoc - the intelligence teacher whom the author loved very much, a part of the portrait of the intelligence soldier was faithfully recreated through stories from 1984 to 2000.
The book's writing style is not ostentatious or flowery; it is brief and concise, recounting the memories of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh - son of General Nguyen Chi Thanh - about the 20 years of accompanying his teacher in the arduous and challenging intelligence industry.
Reading "The Teacher" is reading about the daily life of our soldiers after liberation. They are disciplined and disciplined in their work, but when they leave the battlefield, they return to the true nature of carefree young men in their twenties.
The feelings expressed in the book are not simply the feelings between teachers and students, but also the feelings between comrades, militiamen, and close family ties.
