Decorah-area readers will be able to discuss Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck from home this fall when Vesterheim hosts its October Bokprat program online. The free discussion is scheduled for 7 to 8:15 p.m. Central time Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.
The program will take place entirely by Zoom, meaning participants will not need to travel to Vesterheim in Decorah. The online format also opens the discussion to readers throughout the surrounding area and to people who cannot attend an in-person museum program.
Registration is required
Anyone planning to attend must register in advance through Vesterheim’s event page. The registration process allows participants to add the program to Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365 or Outlook Live.
Vesterheim advises participants to treat registration as an initial step rather than the final check before the event. Zoom access information may be updated, and information saved during registration may not be the newest way to enter the discussion.
Readers should return to the museum’s event page shortly before the 7 p.m. start and use it to confirm the latest connection details. That check is especially important for anyone joining from home who needs the current link or access information.
What the discussion will examine
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 hidden truths. The play explores the relationship between an idealistic son and his corrupt merchant father.
As Werle attempts to rescue the people around him, his father’s duplicity comes to light. The effort ultimately harms the people Werle hopes to help and drives the family toward a deeper unraveling. Those conflicts give the Bokprat group an opportunity to examine deception, betrayal and disillusionment in modern life.
The drama brings together serious and comic elements through 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 consider the family conflict and the way humor, satire and tragedy work together. The October gathering is a discussion of the drama, not a performance.
Part of Vesterheim’s Scandinavian literature series
The event is part of Bokprat, Vesterheim’s recurring online book group focused on Scandinavian authors and Scandinavian life. The museum announced the October selection in August 2026.
Decorah-area readers interested in Scandinavian literature can register through Vesterheim’s event page and return there shortly before Wednesday, Oct. 28, for the latest Zoom information. The free at-home program offers another way to participate in Vesterheim programming without attending at the museum.