The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word EMILE ZOLA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
M
I
L
E
Z
O
L
A
More clues leading to the result EMILE ZOLA
- Writer knocked back drink after drink, going round Australia
- Succulent fruit raised with input from unknown writer
- Writer climbing tree with 7, distressed having left us
- Long way after English, unknown Portuguese greeting French author
- French author turning green, zeal destroyed — nothing penned
- Author‘s fictional land inspired by drink, something juicy written up
- Author‘s odd email covering sign about last letter
- Cooked heart of yellow maize
- French writer recollecting a 50 ounce English fruit
- Author from east, distance unknown, vacated oriental area
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Writer" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case writer = emile zola.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.