Index: Python/errors.c
===================================================================
--- Python/errors.c	(revision 73429)
+++ Python/errors.c	(working copy)
@@ -642,7 +642,73 @@
 }
 
 
+/* Returns the exception string as a new
+   PyUnicode object or NULL if the conversion failed */
+PyObject *
+PyErr_AsUnicode(void)
+{
+	PyObject *stdout_backup = PySys_GetObject("stdout"); /* borrowed */
+	PyObject *stderr_backup = PySys_GetObject("stderr"); /* borrowed */
+	PyObject *string_io = NULL;
+	PyObject *string_io_buf = NULL;
+	PyObject *string_io_mod;
+	PyObject *string_io_getvalue;
+	
+	PyObject *error_type, *error_value, *error_traceback;
+	
+	if (!PyErr_Occurred())
+		return NULL;
+	
+	PyErr_Fetch(&error_type, &error_value, &error_traceback);
+	
+	PyErr_Clear();
+	
+	/* import io
+	 * string_io = io.StringIO()
+	 */
+	if(! (string_io_mod= PyImport_ImportModule("io")) ) {
+		PyErr_Clear();
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	else if (! (string_io= PyObject_CallMethod(string_io_mod, "StringIO", NULL))) {
+		PyErr_Clear();
+		Py_DECREF(string_io_mod);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	else if (! (string_io_getvalue= PyObject_GetAttrString(string_io, "getvalue"))) {
+		PyErr_Clear();
+		Py_DECREF(string_io_mod);
+		Py_DECREF(string_io);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	
+	Py_INCREF(stdout_backup); /* since these were borrowed we dont want them freed when replaced. */
+	Py_INCREF(stderr_backup);
+	
+	PySys_SetObject("stdout", string_io); /* both of these are free'd when restoring */
+	PySys_SetObject("stderr", string_io);
+	
+	PyErr_Restore(error_type, error_value, error_traceback);
+	PyErr_Print(); /* print the error */
+	PyErr_Clear();
+	
+	string_io_buf = PyObject_CallObject(string_io_getvalue, NULL);
+	
+	PySys_SetObject("stdout", stdout_backup);
+	PySys_SetObject("stderr", stderr_backup);
+	
+	Py_DECREF(stdout_backup); /* now sys owns the ref again */
+	Py_DECREF(stderr_backup);
+	
+	Py_DECREF(string_io_mod);
+	Py_DECREF(string_io_getvalue);
+	Py_DECREF(string_io); /* free the original reference */
+	
+	PyErr_Clear();
+	return string_io_buf;
+}
 
+
 PyObject *
 PyErr_NewException(const char *name, PyObject *base, PyObject *dict)
 {
Index: Include/pyerrors.h
===================================================================
--- Include/pyerrors.h	(revision 73429)
+++ Include/pyerrors.h	(working copy)
@@ -184,6 +184,8 @@
 
 PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyErr_Format(PyObject *, const char *, ...);
 
+PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyErr_AsUnicode(void);
+
 #ifdef MS_WINDOWS
 PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyErr_SetFromWindowsErrWithFilenameObject(
 	int, const char *);
Index: Doc/c-api/exceptions.rst
===================================================================
--- Doc/c-api/exceptions.rst	(revision 73429)
+++ Doc/c-api/exceptions.rst	(working copy)
@@ -204,6 +204,12 @@
    copied as-is to the result string, and any extra arguments discarded.
 
 
+.. cfunction:: PyObject* PyErr_AsUnicode()
+
+   This function returns the output of :cfunc:`PyErr_Print` as a string.
+   it returns *NULL* without setting an exception if the conversion fails.
+
+
 .. cfunction:: void PyErr_SetNone(PyObject *type)
 
    This is a shorthand for ``PyErr_SetObject(type, Py_None)``.