belletrist
/ˈbɛlɪtrɪst/
noun
- A writer of literature that is valued for its artistic quality and style rather than for its practical or informational content.
- Many belletrists of the 19th century wrote essays, poetry, and fiction with equal grace.
- The novelist was celebrated as a belletrist whose prose was as beautiful as the stories she told.
- He considered himself a belletrist first and a journalist second, always polishing his sentences.