What is it that drives empowerment? The key, in the eyes of prominent contemporary Bulgarian fiction writer Katerina Hapsali, lies in appreciation. I recently had the privilege of interviewing her for my upcoming book and found her life-affirming thoughts on empowerment, appreciation, human connection and curiosity utterly inspiring.
Hapsali’s standout quality is her admirable ability to share her vulnerability with her audience as a way of helping others. She regularly recounts her daily trials and tribulations on her social media - openly, seemingly unfiltered. It is this generosity of spirit that she so amply displays that makes people feel safe.
“I do feel things deeply and I am vulnerable. But it’s about sharing, and it's about being who I am. In the final analysis, seriously, what is the point of experience if you don't share it with others?“ Her passion for genuine human connection brings to mind images from Sean Penn’s moving 2007 drama “Into The Wild”. Based on a true story, the film’s central character reaches the same conclusion – that genuine human connection must be our goal. But unlike in the film, it is a conclusion that Hapsali manages to live out: following our zoom call she was heading off to offer support to a complete stranger who had reached out to her that day, having just lost her husband. This is a fate all too familiar to the author herself, whose own husband died in a car crash less than a decade ago.
Katerina Hapsali’s belief, that she particularly applies to women, is that inside of us all is hidden a warrior who is waiting to be honoured and whose voice can guide us to a place of empowerment if we only allow ourselves to hear and trust it.“There's this tiny little warrior in every single woman I know. You just have to give this warrior a chance. And then miracles can happen.“
With four successful published books behind her, Katerina Hapsali’s view is that being appreciated, and importantly, feeling appreciation are key drivers of empowerment. “Every single day we [writers] are building bridges in our writing. If my point has come across, if I've managed to build a stable bridge then people understand and appreciate what I have written, even if they don’t agree with it. Appreciation is extremely important in this writing world of ours.”
Despite life’s bitter knocks, Hapsali manages to embody a profound unadulterated optimism that is utterly contagious. When I asked her what helps her get back on her feet after life has dealt her a blow, her response filled me with hope: “It's this tiny little warrior inside of me and it's my faith in life and in a fundamental universal justice. It’s my faith that if I do the right thing, that if I persevere, if I don't give up, life will pay me back with more opportunities. At 46, I'm still extremely curious and I still have this strange and crazy notion that life is just starting to unfold and all these wonderful things are just around the corner.”
For once, it’s a contagion we can all welcome.
