This article focuses on the changes which occurred in modern Russian literature after the collapse of communism. There is no more Soviet censorship banning a lot of topics such as human beings, individual’s problems, life choices and decisions. The authors of the anthology titled Nine Stories with Madness in the Background write about individuality and difficulties connected with insecurity in the chaos of the modern world. Mental illness and disorders usually play the role of metaphors referring to the obstacles in understanding and behaviour in the new post-soviet space.