Residents of Decorah and the surrounding area will be able to join Vesterheim’s discussion of Henrik Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck” from home this October, without traveling to the museum. The free online Bokprat program is scheduled for 7 to 8:15 p.m. Central time Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.
Advance registration through Vesterheim’s event page is required. The discussion will be held entirely online, and the event page will provide the information participants need to enter the Zoom conversation.
How Decorah-area residents can join
After registering, attendees can add the program to Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365 or Outlook Live. Vesterheim advises participants to return to the event page shortly before the 7 p.m. start because Zoom access details may be updated.
That means information saved during registration may not be the latest way to enter the program. Participants should use the event page as the final check before the discussion begins.
The online format allows people throughout the area to take part from home, including residents who cannot attend a program at Vesterheim in person.
What “The Wild Duck” explores
First published in 1884, Ibsen’s play follows the Ekdal family after its fragile peace is disrupted by Gregers Werle, an idealist determined to expose hidden truths. The story examines the relationship between an idealistic son and his corrupt merchant father.
As Werle attempts to rescue the people around him, his father’s duplicity is revealed. The effort ultimately harms the people Werle hopes to help and pushes the family toward a deeper unraveling.
Those conflicts give the Bokprat discussion several subjects to consider, including deception, betrayal and disillusionment in modern life. The drama brings together serious and comic elements, including comedy and satire. Vesterheim describes the work as realistic, while literary scholars have also connected it with symbolism.
The play is regarded as the first modern masterpiece in the tragicomedy genre. Participants may also discuss its family conflict and the way humor, satire and tragedy operate together.
Part of Vesterheim’s Scandinavian literature series
The October event is part of Bokprat, Vesterheim’s recurring online book group focused on Scandinavian authors and Scandinavian life. The museum announced the program in August 2026.
Anyone planning to attend should register through Vesterheim’s event page and revisit it before Wednesday, Oct. 28, for the latest Zoom access information. The discussion’s online format gives Decorah-area residents a way to participate in Vesterheim’s Scandinavian literature programming directly from home.