Odd email about the Parisian, unknown old novelist (5,4)
I believe the answer is:
emile zola
'novelist' is the definition.
(Emile Zola is an example)
'odd email about the parisian unknown old' is the wordplay.
'odd' is an anagram indicator.
'about' indicates putting letters inside.
'the parisian' becomes 'le' (definite article in French).
'unknown old' becomes 'zo' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'email' anagrammed gives 'emila'.
'le'+'zo'='lezo'
'emila' going around 'lezo' is 'EMILE ZOLA'.
(Other definitions for emile zola that I've seen before include "French author" , "novelist" , ""Nana" author" , "Wrote J'Accuse in defence of Alfred Dreyfus" .)