Decorah-area readers can explore Henrik Ibsen’s drama The Wild Duck from home this fall when Vesterheim hosts a free online Bokprat discussion on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.
The Zoom program will run from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Central time. There is no charge to attend, but advance registration through Vesterheim’s event page is required. The event page includes the information participants need to join the meeting, including access details for the 7 p.m. start.
How to join the Vesterheim discussion
Readers planning to attend should complete the registration process before the event date. After registering, participants can add the program to Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365 or Outlook Live, according to the event information.
Vesterheim’s event page provides the registration and joining information. Participants are encouraged to check that page again before the discussion begins for the latest Zoom details. Because the program is remote, attendees will not need to travel to the museum or take part in an in-person gathering.
What Ibsen’s play examines
First published in 1884, The Wild Duck follows the Ekdal family after its fragile peace is disrupted by Gregers Werle, an idealist determined to expose concealed truths. The play also focuses on an idealistic son who reveals the duplicity of his corrupt merchant father.
Werle’s attempt to rescue the people around him ultimately destroys those he hopes to help. As the family’s circumstances unravel, the drama examines deception, betrayal and the disillusionment of modern life.
The work blends serious and comic elements through comedy and satire. Vesterheim describes the play as realistic, while literary scholars have also connected it with symbolism. The drama is regarded as the first modern masterpiece in the tragicomedy genre.
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 an opportunity to discuss Scandinavian literature without attending a gathering at the museum.
Vesterheim announced the program in August 2026. Readers interested in participating should register through the museum’s event page and review it again before Wednesday, Oct. 28, for current Zoom access information.