Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
François-Marie Arouet published Candide under the pseudonym "Voltaire," anticipating that it would be very controversial book. Turns out, he was very right. Within a month of its release, the book was banned. (Source)
Candide was adapted into an operetta. Playwright Lillian Hellman originally developed the idea, and it opened on Broadway in 1956. (Source)