Decorah-area readers can explore Henrik Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck” from home this fall when Vesterheim hosts its October Bokprat discussion online. The free program is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Central time, and advance registration through the museum’s event page is required.
Because the discussion will take place on Zoom, participants will not need to travel to Vesterheim or attend an in-person gathering. Registration is required even though there is no charge to join.
How to register for the Vesterheim discussion
Readers interested in attending should complete the registration process before the event date. According to the event information, registration provides the details needed to join the Zoom meeting, including access information for the 7 p.m. Central start.
After registering, attendees can add the program to Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365 or Outlook Live. Vesterheim’s event page contains the registration and joining information, and participants are encouraged to review it before the discussion begins.
What Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck” examines
First published in 1884, “The Wild Duck” follows the Ekdal family as its fragile peace is disrupted by Gregers Werle. Werle is an idealist determined to expose concealed truths. The story also follows 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 play examines deception, betrayal and the disillusionment of modern life.
The drama 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 work is regarded as the first modern masterpiece in the tragicomedy genre.
Part of Vesterheim’s Bokprat series
The October discussion is part of Vesterheim’s recurring Bokprat series, an online book-group program focused on Scandinavian authors and Scandinavian life. The event continues the museum’s remote format and offers local readers a way to participate from home.
Vesterheim announced the program in August 2026. Readers interested in Scandinavian literature should register through the museum’s event page and check the page for the latest Zoom information before Oct. 28.