"Redemption" was first published in the Atlantic Monthly in May, 1977. Gardner later included the story in his collection of short stories, The Art of Living, published by Knopf in 1981. Gardner was a writer who generated considerable critical controversy, in part from his prodigious writing output. Between the completion of his doctoral dissertation in 1958 and his death in 1982, according to Dean McWilliams in his book, John Gardner, the author produced "eight novels, two collections of short stories, an epic poem, a volume of lyric poetry, eight scholarly or critical books, five children's books, and five volumes of plays and opera libretti."

Although The Art of Living did not generate much critical commentary, the book was generally well-received. For example, Douglas Hill in Maclean's Magazine wrote, "Gardner is the master of the economical opening: he gives a reader just enough setting and background to slip him effortlessly into...