Crossword Genius

I love embracing individual that is exponent of the absurd (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ionesco

'exponent of the absurd' is the definition.
(absurdist playwright Eugne Ionesco)

'i love embracing individual that is' is the wordplay.
'love' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'embracing' indicates putting letters inside.
'individual' becomes 'one' (an individual is one person).
'that is' becomes 'sc' (abbrv. for Latin scilicet; 'namely').
'i'+'o'='io'
'one'+'sc'='onesc'
'io' going around 'onesc' is 'IONESCO'.

(Other definitions for ionesco that I've seen before include "Eugene -, Romanian-born French playwright" , "French dramatist, leading figure in the theatre of the absurd, d. 1994" , "Romanian-born French dramatist" , "Playwright associated with the theatre of the absurd" , "Absurdist playwright" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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