A nicer version by a French dramatist (6)
I believe the answer is:
racine
'a french dramatist' is the definition.
(Jean Racine)
'a nicer version' is the wordplay.
'version' indicates anagramming the letters.
'a'+'nicer'='anicer'
'anicer' anagrammed gives 'RACINE'.
'by' is the link.
(Other definitions for racine that I've seen before include "French writer" , "French dramatist, author of Phedre, d. 1699" , "in Wisconsin" .)