Escapist

"For my taste," burbles Chilean Author Maria-Luisa Bombal, "the grim, documentary type of writing is overdone today. I prefer--what you call--escape." Because escapist literature is Hollywood's meat, her new novel, House of Mist (Farrar Straus, $2.75), was a natural mouthful (at $125,000) for Producer Hal Wallis. Even without book royalties Author Bombal's literary take is tops for a Latin American writer.

The House of Mist and Senorita Bombal have a common background in the lake region of southern Chile, where it rains so hard (104 inches a year) that mist is almost a sign of fine weather. There Maria-Luisa's heroine, Helga, a love child, falls in love with Daniel, the boy next door. But Daniel marries Helga's cousin Teresa, who commits suicide. Helga becomes his second wife. Because she knows that Daniel still loves Teresa, she spends a night with a handsome interloper. Later, Daniel falls in love with Helga, and proves to Helga's satisfaction that her night with the interloper was only a dream. To censor-ridden Hollywood the dream gimmick alone is worth almost $125,000.

Such goings-on are no rarity in Chile, insists Senorita Bombal, where "everyone has a great drama in his life. Chileans are always committing suicide--men for lack of money, women for want of love. In fact, suicide is not considered a very tragic death. It is much worse to be killed in an automobile accident. Suicide is like dying of appendicitis."

Senorita Bombal herself once contemplated suicide. That was in Santiago in 1941. Instead, she ran into an old fiance, impulsively drew from her handbag a Mauser pistol, fired four shots into him. He recovered, forgave, filed no charges.

But such theatrics are now only for Senorita Bombal's bag of situations, to be woven into her quaint, syrupy prose. For three years she has been married to distinguished, white-haired French Broker Fal de Saint Phalle. With daughter Brigette, 2, they live happily in Manhattan.

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