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3.71 of 5 stars 3.71  ·  rating details  ·  11,335 ratings  ·  469 reviews
Com a quadra festiva a aproximar-se, o sargento detective Bruce Robertson - que está em queda no trabalho mas vive a sonhar com a promoção - decide esquecer o Natal e passar uma semana de sexo e drogas em Amesterdão. No entanto, nem tudo corre pelo melhor: cenas domésticas, uma importuna dependência de cocaína, uma crescente deterioração das partes mais íntimas do seu corp ...more
Paperback, 506 pages
Published May 2003 by Quetzal (first published 1998)
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Carlos Lavín
The ending, the damn ending to the book.


The book is disgusting in every imaginable way, but it somehow keeps you going. Even though the situations he pu
Shamus McCarty
Use quotation marks you limey bastard!
I'm so glad I listen to my friend's book recommendations sometimes...

'FILTH' is the story of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, and the first thing you should know about him is that he's a complete and utter Bastard.

During the build up to Christmas the race is on for the much desired Detective Inspector position and Bruce is adamant that he is going to be the one. Now if that means he's got to: lie, cheat, steal, manipulate and back-stab his way there, then you can safely bet that he will. The
Oct 28, 2008 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: Cynical,dry, filthy humored readers like myself.
Absolutely my favorite Welsh read.I loved the humor and Bruce was so relateable(to me and my type of humor) but sort of over-the-top in his slurs towards many controvercial subjects which only made me giggle,tsk and shake my head.He thought many of the things people would never admit to thinking in their own heads so they just right off the book as its namesake and dont read any further. But I loved the shocking twist and its completely original narrative style. And how Bruce and the tapeworm sl ...more
A few years back I was watching some pissed off religious zealot going all loony on TV because gays were having their little pride parade (Oh, the horror!) and proposing they should all be sent to the desert or be given a country - Australia, he suggested (!!) - to inhabit. Maybe I should have been outraged, but I couldn't stop laughing to tears at the poor illiterate wacko and his unbelievable stupidity. Some people are so deranged, you just can't take them seriously.

My reaction to Bruce Robert
A good book, following the exploits of the world's second worst police officer through the things he does.

Unfortunately the main character is so difficult to relate to (he does the most awful things for no reason other than he can/wants to, and I can't understand that) that by the time of his trip to Amsterdam you're left numb. The constant series of horrors (which are entertaining and shocking to begin with) become something that you are accustomed to, the horror you were feeling at his physica
So delicously revolting. Welsh is at his best, here. The metaphor is spot on. The dynamic narrative device is shocking and perfect. Bruce Robertson is a nasty, nasty piece of work, making Francis Begbie look positively choirboy-like in comparison. The twist, when it comes (and that's not a spoiler--it's Welsh, so you knew there would be one) is shocking and yet fits so perfectly all at the same time that it seems to have been crystal clear from the beginning. Not for the faint of heart, but if y ...more
Brett Starr
Wow, the book definitely lives up to it's title "Filth"!

Detective Sgt. Bruce Robertson is one despicable bastard!

He takes drugs, abuses his police power, is addicted to pornography, takes bribes, masterbates compulsively, is a sex fiend, has a nasty bit of eczema below the belt & has a tapeworm in his gut!

D.S. Robertson is a filthy human being, he back stabs his friends & co-workers, tells extremely harmful and deceitful lies to women to sleep with them and he stinks "literally"!

This has echoes of Martin Amis's "Money" in it's presentation of a truly vile lead character: Bruce Robertson, is a scheming,racist, sexist and bigoted Detective Sergeant, investigating the murder of a black man outside a nightclub. Not that he has much time for solving crime; the constant bouts of: heavy drinking, porn, cocaine abuse, skiving work and his serial philandering occupy most of this. But, this is Welsh and you wouldn't expect deities and social heirs and graces.

There's plenty of twi
There are several reasons why I will never forget this book. The main reason is Bruce Robertson, the main character of "Filth".

Bruce Robertson is a Police Investigator in Edinburgh. He's also, in every sense of the word, the WORST human being you can imagine. He's depraved, completely void of morality, racist, and worst of all, believes in what he does. Reading this book actually makes you fearful that there are people out there like this in positions of power. His actions are awe-inducing in th
I have given this book 4 stars but I am still at loss as to what to say. As the front pages 15 years on from when it was written still have stories of UKIP members making racist comments and FA reps sending sexist comments in e mails I realised that perhaps this string of mysogony and vitriol coming out of the character Bruce Robertson's mouth is a damning indictment of the extremes of modern man, rather than just the rantings of the vilest character I have ever read in a book. The story is abou ...more
This is certainly not the solid, socially acceptable and morally improving type of story. The main character is filth and makes no attempt to hide it from us. Just as i was disgusted with his behaviour I was intrigued by him and really admired his honesty.
Steven Stennett
I have never been so glad to finish a book.

Great writer, and I found bits of it funny, but my overriding impression of the whole experience of reading it, was one of deep depression!

I am glad to say that I will never have to do that again!!!
Colin N.
"Filth" comes close to living up to its name. Welsh's central character, Bruce Robertson, is a detective placed in charge of the investigation of a murdered young black man. Robertson, however, has other things on his mind. First there is his planned vacation to Amsterdam where he goes every year for drugs and debauchery. Then there is his desire for a promotion and the various "games" he plays with his fellow officers, attempting to pit them against one another and knock out his competition. On ...more
Jayne Charles
Any book written in the first person has to deal with the problem of getting across to the reader all those things the narrator doesn’t know or isn’t prepared to acknowledge. It takes a special sort of author to think: “I know, let’s use a talking tapeworm”.

And so here is a novel about a bent policeman, a man with so many prejudices they are impossible to count, who treats both his enemies and his friends with breathtaking contempt, who drinks, takes drugs, and refers to all women as “hoors”. Th
Irvine Welsh is a freak.

If I have to sum up the experience of reading this book in a word, it would be ‘Whirlpool’. Like an object swirling into its abyss, the characters in this novel are sucked into a whirlpool named “Bruce Robertson” and delve deeper into its grip with each page turn. If you are indifferent about this book, you might find a lot of its content repetitive but Irvine Welsh cuts right through a lot of pages with the ferociousness of Edgar Wright montages while unwrapping a new la
Andrew Robins
DS Bruce Robertson is without a doubt the most repulsive character you'll come across. A truly vile, lying, scheming, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, violent, diseased, sociopathic, filthy animal for whom you will have absolutely no sympathy. He's also host to a tapeworm, which contributes to the story at various points, and, towards the end, tells us Robertson's 'back story'.

Halfway through this book, I was absolutely convinced there was no way on earth Welsh could possibly make you feel anyt
Kevin Rubin
"Filth," by Irivine Welsh certainly lived up to its name. Pretty filthy, in several ways the word can be used, from beginning to end.

It's told in first person by the main character, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson of the Leith Police, who's approaching middle age and is one of the detectives competing for the single available promotion to Detective Inspector. He feels he's entitled to it because he gave up a few years of rank by working in Australia when his wife Carole wanted to live near he
Об отзыве я начал думать еще за три дня до прочтения, в голове все время крутилось слово "сумбур", но концовка заставила изменить мнение, это очень структурирование произведение, есть начало и конец, довольно жесткий, но наверно автор решил что герою так будет легче, чтобы все пришло к логическому заключению. Книга не сказать что потрясающая, но очень сильная, героя преследуют проблемы его детства, и условия взросления, совсем от него не зависящие, залаживают сценарий его жизни. Печально, ведь б ...more
Thomas Potts
'Filth' sucks you deep into the disturbed, poetic, perverted, brilliant and fevered brain of Detective Sargent Bruce 'Robbo' Robertson. Bruce is in line for a big promotion to DI, and will stop at nothing to get it. Eliminating the competition with psychopathic precision, whilst indulging in his own sordid urges (booze, sex, cocaine and a bit of the old ultraviolence), it seems hard to make this character relatable or even that likeable. However, through Welsh's horrific but poignant stream-of-c ...more
Can you say "Gimmick"? This book was all about gimmicks, and shock-value for shock-value's sake. Which frankly isn't all that interesting to me, especially for three-hundred-odd pages. The main character that Welsh creates is, as the title suggests, utter filth. Racist, sexist, coke-addled, perverted, etc etc etc. The etc's just keep going. Alright already, you don't have to beat us over the head with it. Oh, I guess you do. The gimmick of having part of the story narrated by Main Character's ta ...more
Derek Bridge
Racist. Sexist. Homophobic. Misanthropic. And a policeman. This is Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson. Ugly and stinking, inside and out. He is filth.

Ostensibly investigating a murder (about which he knows more than he is letting on), he spends most of his time undermining colleagues and friends.

In this novel, Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting, invites us into Robertson's head and into his gut. In his gut, there lives a tapeworm, whose burgeoning self-consciousness gives voice to some explan
Irvine Welsh books make me so uncomfortable. Yet I am compelled by some sick desire to continue to follow some person's descent because Mr Welsh writes so well. I am fascinated by his ability. If anyone else tried to write about a detective with a rash on his nether regions that he claws at regularly without washing, a talking tapeworm, a serious sex and drug addiction while trying to solve a crime. All this after his wife and daughter have left him, I tell you, I would have thrown the book as f ...more
David Matthews
One of my favourite reads of all time! This book is brilliant! Bruce Robertson is one sick bastard but i couldnt help but love him. Throughout, i was laughing out load at his snide comments and games.
Robertson is constantly trying to put one over his collegues and friends. He is sexist, rasist and anything else that ends in ist! He has terrible hygene problems, which makes your stomach wretch while reading about his sexual exploits. Dark humour indeed. If you have never read this book then you
The protagonist, Detective Bruce Robertson, is pure filth in every way. He suffers from every 'ism' in the book. A truly disgusting human being. You are desperately wanting to know if there is a reason (not an excuse) for his despicable treatment of everything and everyone. There is a reason but you still despise him. I felt a ticker of pity at the end. Maybe. Don't let this put you off. It is a witty and humorous novel, written in Welsh's unique style. I thoroughly enjoyed it but it is definite ...more
That’s the beauty aboot being polis: it doesnae really matter whether or not everybody hates you, as long as they’re civil tae your face and can put up a good front. You can only live in the world you ken. The rest is just wishful thinking or paranoia.

That's about the longest "clean" quote you can pull from Detective Sergeant Bruce "Robbo" Robertson's filthy ramblings: he's a sexist, racist, womanizing alcoholic who only finds pleasure in "the games" (messing with people's heads) and "the craft
An absolutely vile story about the most repellent police office - Bruce "Robbo" Robertson - whom you shall eventually (and you'll have to suspend your disbelief here) find a sliver of sympathy for by the end of the this woefully perverse story.

Intelligent, repugnant, hilarious and shockingly queasy; one of my most favourite books. You'll have to read 'Filth' yourself to find out why Welsh is just so damn clever.
DS Bruce "Robbo" Robertson is the worst sort of man. Sexist, racist, homophobic, drug-addled, alcohol-fuelled, two-faced, cheating, back-stabbing, aggressive, manipulative, hypocritical... the list of unflattering adjectives could easily take up the rest of this review's word count. In fact, the more I ruminate on Robertson's character, the more surprised I am with myself for sticking with it to the end. I'm glad I did though; despite the novel's thoroughly unpleasant protagonist, it might just ...more
First things first, if you like the narrative in Trainspotting, you’ll love the narrative here. The book follows policeman Bruce Robertson in a series of mysogonstic, homophonic, racist, manipulative and debauched antics that almost make me wish I was back home.
Indeed, my hometown of Edinburgh is brilliantly described here, richly detailed settings as well as fully developed characters, my favourite of which being the narrative from the tapeworms point of view.

When reading (and watching the fil
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Probably most famous for his gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts, Trainspotting, Welsh focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use. All of his novels are set in his native Scotland and filled with anti-heroes, small time crooks and hooligans. Welsh manages, however to imbue these characters with a sad humanity that makes them likable despite their obvious scumbaggerry ...more
More about Irvine Welsh...
Trainspotting Porno The Acid House Glue Marabou Stork Nightmares

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“We wait and think and doubt and hate. How does it make you feel? The overwhelming feeling is rage. We hate ourself for being unable to be other than what we are. Unable to be better. We feel rage. The feelings must be followed. It doesn't matter whether you're an ideologue or a sensualist, you follow the stimuli thinking that they're your signposts to the promised land. But they are nothing of the kind. What they are is rocks to navigate the past, each on your brush against, ripping you a little more open and they are always more on the horizon. But you can't face up to the that, so you force yourself to believe the bullshit of those you instinctively know are liars and you repeat those lies to yourself and to others, hoping that by repeating them often and fervently enough you'll attain the godlike status we accord those who tell the lies most frequently and most passionately. But you never do, and even if you could, you wouldn't value it, you'd realise that nobody believes in heroes any more. We know that they only want to sell us something we don't really want and keep from us what we really do need. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe we're getting in touch with our condition at last. It's horrible how we always die alone, but no worse than living alone.” 65 likes
“You can only live in the world you ken. The rest is just wishful thinking or paranoia.” 28 likes
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