Remée Meléndez

Remée Meléndez Galán, Josita Hernán's mother, was born in Orán, Argelia, in 1889. She was a modern and cultured woman from a well-off family who had emigrated to Africa. She married Antonio Hernández Ballester in 1909 or 1910, they had a son Antonio and in 1914 a daughter Josefina, short-named Josita. Her two brothers as well as his husband were in the military branch. She worked as newspaperwoman, and as arts and theatre critic, advocating equity between men and women. She had a regular column in the "Informaciones" newspaper. She wrote of arts, home, fashion and beauty, also of politics, defending small nations'claims. Furthermore she translated books from French, wrote novels, poetry and even a zarzuela (Spanish lyric play). Before the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936 she had moved with her military husband and children to the Balearic islands and left her job as a journalist. Her daughter began a successful actress career first onstage and then in pictures between Spain and France. They would appear together once, in Muñequita (1940). Later Josita started her own stage company, Antonio (father) became her manager and Remée her manageress (1943) and artistic adviser. She accompanied Josita when she left for Paris and an academic career, and died in Paris in February 1963, shortly followed by her husband who died in Madrid in May.