Dramatist going back through Swinburne's biography (5)
I believe the answer is:
ibsen
'dramatist' is the definition.
(Ibsen is an example)
'going back through swinburne's biography' is the wordplay.
'going back' says the letters should be written backwards.
'through' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'nesbi' is hidden in the letters of 'swinburnes biography'.
'nesbi' in reverse letter order is 'IBSEN'.
(Other definitions for ibsen that I've seen before include "Norwegian playwright (Peer Gynt)" , "Author of The Master Builder, d. 1906" , "not one for 'All work and no play ...'" , "See 7 Down" , "foreign author" .)