Hemingway and Sterne at variance (6)
I believe the answer is:
ernest
'hemingway' is the definition.
(author Ernest Hemingway)
'sterne at variance' is the wordplay.
'at variance' is an anagram indicator.
'sterne' anagrammed gives 'ERNEST'.
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for ernest that I've seen before include "Male" , "character for Wilde" , "chap" , "Boy's name (the important one!)" , "First name of . . . . . . Hemingway, American novelist" .)