Pauline Julien

Pauline Julien, CQ (May 23, 1928 – October 1, 1998) was a singer, songwriter, actress, feminist activist and Quebec sovereigntist.

Born in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Julien was the companion of the poet and Québec provincial MLA Gérald Godin, another Trifluvian and sovereigntist. She also worked with Gilles Vigneault and recorded with him. Julien performed pro-independence songs in Montréal clubs as early as 1964 and later made a career as one of Québec's most successful female popular singers. Julien's best-loved songs include "La Manic", the haunting ballad about love and separation in isolated Manicouagan, a river region of northern Québec near Labrador.

In 1970, Julien and Godin were arrested during the October Crisis and were released 8 days later without charge.

In 1994 France decorated her with the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. Julien was made a Chevalière de l'Ordre national du Québec.

Diagnosed with a debilitating brain disease, Julien took her own life in late September 1998 in Montreal.