Attracting a large number of authors, producing high-quality works

Before the award ceremony, we had an interview with Colonel Tran Cao Kieu, Deputy Director of the Public Security Communications Department, Director - Editor-in-Chief of the Public Security Publishing House, Head of the Standing Committee of the Organizing Committee of the contest about this season.

PV Dai Ta Tran Cao Kieu1.jpg -0 — Colonel Tran Cao Kieu, Deputy Director of the Public Security Communications Department, Director - Editor-in-Chief of the Public Security Publishing House, Head of the Standing Committee of the Organizing Committee of the 5th novel, story and memoir writing contest on the topic "For national security and peaceful life".

Reporter (PV): The 5th novel, story and memoir writing contest on the theme "For national security and peaceful life" for the period 2022 - 2025 is about to reach its final destination. Could you please tell us what are the outstanding new points of this season compared to previous seasons?

Colonel Tran Cao Kieu: The 5th competition was launched in 2022, lasting for 3 years (2022 - 2025). This period has many new things, the Ministry of Public Security is implementing Resolution No. 12, dated March 16, 2022 of the Politburo on "Promoting the building of a truly clean, strong, disciplined, elite, modern public security force, meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation".

The People's Public Security Forces have been reorganized in terms of organization and internal apparatus, such as deploying regular police forces to communes; the Law on Forces Participating in Protecting Security and Order at the Grassroots Level, passed by the National Assembly on November 28, 2023, effective from July 1, 2024, has created an important, solid, and comprehensive legal basis for building, consolidating, and maintaining forces participating in protecting security and order at the grassroots level, promptly meeting the requirements and tasks of ensuring security and order in the new situation; there are no more district-level police. Due to changes in the organizational model, the tasks have also been adjusted.

On the other hand, the period of 2022 - 2025 is a period of strong digital transformation. Besides the advantages, in the digital age, high-tech crimes are increasing, and the tricks are becoming more sophisticated. The task of ensuring security and order in Vietnam poses new, more complex, and more comprehensive requirements.

Under the absolute and direct leadership in all aspects of the Party, and often of the Politburo, the work of building a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and modern People's Public Security force has achieved many important achievements. The People's Public Security force has always been at the forefront of streamlining the apparatus, digital transformation, etc. Those achievements, efforts, and innovations have been approached and reflected in various works by authors.

The goal of the contest is not only to write about the current period of the People's Public Security Forces but also about history and tradition. These are very abundant mineral deposits. Through the contest, writers can exploit them more effectively. Many achievements of the People's Public Security Forces, many declassified documents, which have never been exploited in literary works, have been approached by the authors and reflected in the works participating in this contest.

The creative force participating in the contest is also very rich and diverse in terms of composition, age and location. Throughout the three regions of the North, Central and South, there are professional and non-professional writers participating. It can be said that the 5th contest has achieved significant success, both in terms of creative team and quality entries.

PV: Could you please share more specifically about the success of this season, looking at the entries?

Colonel Tran Cao Kieu: In terms of quantity, the Organizing Committee has received over 140 manuscripts of novels, stories, and memoirs. The topics of the entries are very diverse. In terms of memoirs, there are works written about the tradition of the People's Public Security Forces, with feats associated with the history of the People's Public Security Forces through different periods, from the resistance war against the French, the resistance war against the Americans, and the renovation period.

Regarding novels, the entries are quite diverse. It can be said that this is a contest with the most diverse novel genre, mentioning many tasks of the Public Security Forces such as security, intelligence, criminal offenses, drugs, high-tech crimes, Fire Prevention and Fighting Police, and rescue.

There are topics that were previously exploited rather vaguely, such as the fight against high-tech crimes, which have been exploited more by authors, with works winning high prizes in the contest. There are feats in the two resistance wars against the French and the Americans that have been successfully exploited by authors, such as the memoir "The Man in the Heart of the Storm" written about Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Tong Xuan Nhuan; "Green Grass and Steel Life" - a work about Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Thi Thao (Sau Thao)...

Whether writing about the People's Public Security Forces in the present or the past, the works all have new discoveries, full of humanity, reflecting the fight for the cause of protecting national security, ensuring social order and safety of the People's Public Security Forces and the movement of the entire people to protect the security of the Fatherland. Through the works, readers increasingly understand more about the People's Public Security Forces, about the achievements of the People's Public Security Forces through the ages, about the uncompromising struggle against evil of the Public Security soldiers, protecting the peaceful life of the people.

PV: The contest lasts for 3 years. How does the organizing committee continuously attract and motivate authors to bring about a bumper season, sir?

Colonel Tran Cao Kieu: Over the past 3 years, the Central Public Security Party Committee and the leadership of the Ministry of Public Security have always paid attention to directing and creating favorable conditions for the organization of the contest to be professional, methodical and thoughtful. With the close coordination of the Vietnam Writers Association, the Organizing Committee has successfully implemented 3 writing camps in Ha Long, Quang Ninh, Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City and Ninh Binh, gathering about 200 authors and writers inside and outside the Public Security Forces.

In addition to the writing camps, any writer who needs to exploit and go to the unit or locality to better understand the work of the police officers and soldiers, the Organizing Committee will create the best conditions. The writer will have a deeper understanding not only of the police work in many different fields but also of the police soldiers in everyday life, and of the silent contributions and sacrifices of the police soldiers, which will be reflected more vividly in the works.

In fact, from 140 manuscripts of novels, stories, and memoirs submitted by authors to the contest, after the Preliminary and Final Councils reviewed them, the Organizing Committee selected 54 manuscripts of the most outstanding quality to publish, serving readers inside and outside the Public Security Forces. Currently, the Public Security Publishing House has published the first batch of 34 books to serve readers during the award ceremony. After the award ceremony, the remaining 20 manuscripts are being printed and widely distributed by the Public Security Publishing House.

PV: Many people believe that competitions like this also help to form and develop a solid literary theme related to the Public Security Forces. Could you tell us, after 5 seasons, do the Organizing Committee see that the actual results are as expected?

Colonel Tran Cao Kieu: Through the contest's organization, it can be seen that the team of authors writing on the topic For National Security and Peaceful Life is increasingly large and diverse. Just looking at the 5th season alone, this can be seen. Right from its launch, the contest has attracted many professional and non-professional writers. In particular, many young writers have participated. Through the seasons, up to now, there are young authors who have become brands such as Tong Ngoc Han, Dao Trung Hieu, Chu Thanh Huong, Tong Phuoc Bao... There are writers who have been associated with the contest for more than 20 years such as writer Nguyen Xuan Thuy...

Along with that, the manuscripts submitted for the contest are increasingly rich and of high quality, reflecting deeply and widely on the activities of the People's Public Security Forces, on all aspects of work and achievements of the People's Public Security Forces through the ages. In addition to being published as books, these works also contribute to enriching the source of scripts for cinema and theater about the People's Public Security Forces. Many works have been adapted into TV drama scripts such as "White Collar", "Kim Tien", "Flying Flowers", "Storm" ...

It is not difficult to see that, from the time when literature about the People's Public Security was still in its infancy at the level of crime stories and cautionary tales, until now, literature on this topic has become a mainstream literary genre, with a place in the country's literature. Works of ideological and artistic value have contributed to widely propagating the beautiful image and achievements of the People's Public Security force throughout the process of building, fighting and growing up to now.

Through this, the people understand, trust, support and accompany the People's Public Security Forces in the cause of protecting national security, ensuring social order and safety, maintaining political stability to carry out the cause of building and developing the country. These results, certainly, the Organizing Committee will continue to promote in the following seasons, so that the contest attracts more and more authors to participate with more quality works.

PV: Thank you very much, comrade!

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Tieu-diem-van-hoa/thu-hut-dong-dao-tac-gia-boi-thu-tac-pham-chat-luong-cao-i787400/