Ole Paus

Norwegian singer, songwriter, poet, and author, widely regarded as the foremost troubadour of the contemporary Norwegian ballad tradition. During the 1970s Paus was known for his biting social commentary, especially in his ironic and sometimes libellous "musical newspapers" in the form of broadside ballads in a series of albums titled The Paus Post. He has been described as the Norwegian counterpart of Bob Dylan and as the "voice of the nation."

Later in his career he was known for a softer and more lyrical style, and wrote some of Norway's best known songs, such as "Innerst i sjelen" and "Engler i sneen." Paus was noted for his consistent use of Norwegian and was eager for other Norwegian musicians to switch from English to Norwegian.

He often collaborated with Ketil Bjørnstad, notably on the "modern suite" Leve Patagonia; he later collaborated with Kirkelig Kulturverksted on several projects, and with his son, the classical composer Marcus Paus, notably on the children's opera The Witches, Requiem and several later works. One of his songs, "Mitt lille land", gained wide popularity after the 2011 Norway attacks and was described as "the new national anthem".

He was the son of General Ole Otto Paus and a member of the Paus family. Ole Paus died in Drammen on 12 December 2023 at the age of 76.