Decorah-area readers can discuss Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck from home this fall when Vesterheim presents a free online Bokprat program on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.
The Zoom discussion is scheduled for 7 to 8:15 p.m. Central time. There is no charge to participate, but attendees must register in advance through Vesterheim’s event page. The page provides 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 join 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 contains the registration and joining information. Participants are encouraged to check the page again before the discussion begins for the latest Zoom details.
Because the program is remote, attendees will not need to travel to Vesterheim or gather at the museum in person. That format allows local readers to take part from home while still joining a discussion connected to Scandinavian literature and culture.
What “The Wild Duck” explores
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 centers on an idealistic son who reveals the duplicity of his corrupt merchant father. Werle’s effort to rescue the people around him ultimately destroys those he hopes to help, as the family’s circumstances begin to unravel.
Through that collapse, Ibsen’s drama examines 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.
The drama is regarded as the first modern masterpiece in the tragicomedy genre, giving the Bokprat conversation a work that can be read through both its difficult family conflict and its mixture of humor, satire and tragedy.
Part of Vesterheim’s Bokprat series
The October discussion 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 an in-person 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.