Pretentious type recalled the writer's name: old George Eliot? (9)
I believe the answer is:
pseudonym
'george eliot?' is the definition.
(George Eliot was the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans)
'pretentious type recalled the writer's name old' is the wordplay.
'pretentious type' becomes 'pseud' (I've seen this before).
'recalled' says the letters should be written backwards (to recall can mean to bring something back).
'the writer's' becomes 'my' (belonging to the person who set the crossword).
'name' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation e.g. on forms).
'old' becomes 'o' (abbreviation as in OT - Old Testament).
'my'+'n'+'o'='myno'
'myno' reversed gives 'onym'.
'pseud'+'onym'='PSEUDONYM'
(Other definitions for pseudonym that I've seen before include "name, adopted for writing purposes" , "Alias" , "Name adopted by someone for a particular role" , "Our cryptic crossword always carries one" , "Fictitious identity" .)