Surprisingly, perhaps, this refers to a writer who was bearded (7)
I believe the answer is:
shavian
'writer who was bearded' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'surprisingly perhaps this refers to a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shavian that I've seen before include "Like Candida and Heartbreak House" , "Of George Bernard Shaw and his writings" , "To do with G B Shaw" , "Irish writer's works" , "from Irish writer" .)