The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 plus 6 letter word BERTOLT BRECHT
B
E
R
T
O
L
T
B
R
E
C
H
T
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Writer/Torch, Belt & Beret" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case writer/torch, belt & beret = bertolt brecht.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.