Claeson was born in Gothenburg in 1942 and made his debut in 1969 with the poetry collection "Semantica". Since then, he has published several novels and short story collections. The breakthrough came in 1993 with the novel "The Maid in Arras".
His last novel was 2021's "Time of Innuendo: Conversations During a Holocaust."
He also made important contributions as a translator of American poets, such as William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound and several of Nobel Laureate Louise Glück's works.
Claeson has also worked at various folk high schools, including as rector of Malung Folk High School, and he was one of the initiators of the literary composition programme at the University of Gothenburg.
Stewe Claeson was 80.