Decorah-area readers can join Vesterheim’s next Bokprat discussion from home this fall, with a free online conversation about Henrik Ibsen’s 1884 play The Wild Duck scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.
The Zoom program will run from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Central time. Although participation does not cost anything, advance registration through Vesterheim’s event page is required. The event page will provide the information needed to join the meeting, including access details for the 7 p.m. start.
How Decorah-area readers can attend
People planning to participate should complete the registration process before the event date. According to the event information, registrants can add the program to Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365 or Outlook Live after signing up.
Because the discussion is being held remotely, attendees will not need to travel to Vesterheim or meet at the museum. The online format allows participants in the Decorah area to take part from home in a conversation about Scandinavian literature and culture.
Vesterheim advises readers to check the event page again before the discussion begins for the latest Zoom details. The page should be used both to register and to obtain the joining information.
What “The Wild Duck” examines
First published in 1884, The Wild Duck centers on the Ekdal family after its fragile peace is disrupted by Gregers Werle, an idealist determined to expose concealed truths. The play also examines the relationship between an idealistic son and his corrupt merchant father, whose duplicity is revealed.
Werle’s attempt to rescue the people around him ultimately destroys those he hopes to help, and the family’s circumstances begin to unravel. The drama uses that collapse to explore deception, betrayal and the disillusionment of modern life.
The work combines serious and comic elements through comedy and satire. Vesterheim describes the play as realistic, while literary scholars have also associated it with symbolism. It is regarded as the first modern masterpiece in the tragicomedy genre, giving the Bokprat group an opportunity to discuss its family conflict and its blend of humor, satire and tragedy.
Part of Vesterheim’s Bokprat series
The October event is part of Vesterheim’s recurring Bokprat series, an online book group focused on Scandinavian authors and Scandinavian life. Its remote format gives local readers a way to discuss Scandinavian literature without attending an in-person gathering at the museum.
Vesterheim announced the program in August 2026. Readers interested in joining should register through the museum’s event page and review it again before Wednesday, Oct. 28, for current Zoom access information.