84-484

Paperback, 138 x 210mm
87 pages

Published 2007

84-484 was my grandparents’ telephone number in the 1950s. Absent from my head for donkey’s years, it made its return last night as I was watching Antiques Roadshow. 

Yes, ‘84-484’ is my title. 
Lingering however 
in ghostly pastel glyphs 
is the one I almost chose: ‘Dubious Truths’.

Geoff Cochrane’s new book is a stunning new collection from one of NZ’s very best poets.

Praise for 84 484
Named One of the Lumière Reader's Ten Books of the Year

‘Cochrane’s relaxed precision, stunning vocabulary and formidable concision are all happily present in 84-484, a book full of memories, characters, Wellington, self-portraits and riddles. … 84-484 is a full and distinctive collection, brimming with stories, skill and knowledge peculiar to this poet. If this were to be Cochrane’s last book (which I certainly hope it won’t) it’d make, I think, a good substitute for a memoir.’ —Amy Brown, Lumière Reader

‘Cochrane is not merely a frugal poet, thriftily recycling anecdotal skerricks and wisps of philosophical thoughts and self-destructive deeds into highly crafted and sophisticated works of art, but also a darkly humorous memorialist: a keeper of the keys for marginal Wellington.’ —David Eggleton, Dominion Post

‘Ripe, and intoxicating.’ —Peter Dornauf, Waikato Times

‘This is good stuff that points at the things that are really important – life, love and perception.’ —Hamesh Wyatt, Otago Daily Times

'84-484 consistently rewards our attention.’ —Hugh Roberts, The Listener

‘What is not said is also part of the work, and the style is one of anecdotal simplicity and a notably hands-off treatment by the writer. … Cochrane's latest slim volume is surprisingly seductive in its modesty and humour.’ —Abby Cunnane, Capital Times

Geoff Cochrane is the author of sixteen collections of poetry, two novels, and Astonished Dice: Collected Short Stories (2014). Geoff received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award in 2014. In 2009 he was awarded the Janet Frame Prize for Poetry, and in 2010 the inaugural Nigel Cox Unity Books Award.