Decorah-area readers can discuss Henrik Ibsen’s 1884 play The Wild Duck from home this fall through a free online program hosted by Vesterheim. The Bokprat discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Central time.
Advance registration is required for the Zoom gathering. Readers who register through Vesterheim’s event page will receive the information needed to join, including access details for the 7 p.m. start. There is no charge to attend, and participants will not need to travel to the museum.
How Decorah readers can join
Vesterheim’s event page is the registration location and the source for meeting information. After signing up, attendees can add the program to Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365 or Outlook Live.
The museum advises registrants to return to the event page before the discussion begins to find the latest Zoom information. Readers planning to participate should complete registration before Oct. 28 and check the page again before the program.
What the Ibsen play 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 examines the relationship between an idealistic son and his corrupt merchant father, whose duplicity is revealed.
Werle’s effort to rescue the people around him ultimately destroys those he hopes to help, sending the family toward a deeper unraveling. The drama explores deception, betrayal and disillusionment in modern life.
The work combines serious and comic elements, including comedy and satire. Vesterheim describes the play as realistic, while literary scholars have also connected it with symbolism. It is regarded as the first modern masterpiece in the tragicomedy genre, giving the Bokprat group several topics to consider, including family conflict and the mixture of humor, satire and tragedy.
Part of Vesterheim’s Scandinavian literature 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 readers in the Decorah area 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 joining should register through the museum’s event page and revisit it before Wednesday, Oct. 28, for current Zoom access information.