Pauline Julien

Who was Pauline Julien?

Pauline Julien, CQ 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 eight 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.