Dramatist sent up in Sterne's biography (5)
I believe the answer is:
ibsen
'dramatist' is the definition.
(I know that Ibsen is a dramatist)
'sent up in sterne's biography' is the wordplay.
'sent up' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'nesbi' is hidden within 'sternes biography'.
'nesbi' written backwards gives 'IBSEN'.
(Other definitions for ibsen that I've seen before include "Scandinavian playwright" , "Linesman" , "See 7 Down" , "Hedda Gabler author" , "Norwegian playwright, d. 1906" .)