Writer admits art failed (9)
I believe the answer is:
dramatist
'writer' is the definition.
(I know that dramatist is a type of writer)
'admits art failed' is the wordplay.
'failed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'admits'+'art'='admitsart'
'admitsart' with letters rearranged gives 'DRAMATIST'.
(Other definitions for dramatist that I've seen before include "Playwright" , "Shakespeare, say" , "Wordsmith" , "man of theatre" , "Pinter, say" .)