"Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond" (Things Fall Apart).

It's a line that does character, culture, and foreshadowing all at once without straining any of them.

Previously:

Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48908271

9 days ago, 182 points, 104 comments

We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.