Index: Python/sysmodule.c
===================================================================
--- Python/sysmodule.c	(revision 82643)
+++ Python/sysmodule.c	(working copy)
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@
     PyInterpreterState *interp = PyThreadState_GET()->interp;
     PyObject *modules = interp->modules;
     PyObject *builtins = PyDict_GetItemString(modules, "builtins");
+    PyObject *encoded, *escaped_str, *repr_str, *stdout_encoding, *args;
+    char *stdout_encoding_str;
+    PyObject *buffer, *writer, *result;
 
     if (builtins == NULL) {
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "lost builtins module");
@@ -94,8 +97,71 @@
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "lost sys.stdout");
         return NULL;
     }
-    if (PyFile_WriteObject(o, outf, 0) != 0)
-        return NULL;
+    if (PyFile_WriteObject(o, outf, 0) != 0) {
+        if (PyErr_ExceptionMatches(PyExc_UnicodeEncodeError)) {
+            /* if the encoding used by sys.stdout is not able to encode
+               the string, a UnicodeEncodeError will be raised.
+               In this case encode the string using 'backslashreplace',
+               check for sys.stdout.buffer and try to write it there,
+               or decode it again and send it to PyFile_WriteObject(). */
+            stdout_encoding = PyObject_GetAttrString(outf, "encoding");
+            if (stdout_encoding == NULL)
+                return NULL;  /* with no encoding just reraise the error */
+            stdout_encoding_str = _PyUnicode_AsString(stdout_encoding);
+            if (stdout_encoding_str == NULL)
+                return NULL;
+            PyErr_Clear();
+            repr_str = PyObject_Repr(o);
+            if (repr_str == NULL) {
+                Py_DECREF(stdout_encoding);
+                return NULL;
+            }
+            encoded = PyUnicode_AsEncodedString(repr_str,
+                                                stdout_encoding_str,
+                                                "backslashreplace");
+            Py_DECREF(repr_str);
+            if (encoded == NULL)
+                return NULL;
+            buffer = PyObject_GetAttrString(outf, "buffer");
+            if (buffer) {
+                Py_DECREF(stdout_encoding);
+                writer = PyObject_GetAttrString(buffer, "write");
+                Py_DECREF(buffer);
+                if (writer == NULL) {
+                    Py_DECREF(encoded);
+                    return NULL;
+                }
+                args = PyTuple_Pack(1, encoded);
+                if (args == NULL) {
+                    Py_DECREF(encoded);
+                    Py_DECREF(writer);
+                    return NULL;
+                }
+                result = PyEval_CallObject(writer, args);
+                Py_DECREF(args);
+                Py_DECREF(encoded);
+                Py_DECREF(writer);
+                if (result == NULL)
+                    return NULL;
+                Py_DECREF(result);
+            }
+            else {
+                escaped_str = PyUnicode_FromEncodedObject(encoded,
+                                                          stdout_encoding_str,
+                                                          "backslashreplace");
+                Py_DECREF(encoded);
+                Py_DECREF(stdout_encoding);
+                if (PyFile_WriteObject(escaped_str, outf, Py_PRINT_RAW) != 0) {
+                    Py_DECREF(escaped_str);
+                    return NULL;
+                }
+                Py_DECREF(escaped_str);
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            return NULL;
+        }
+    }
     if (PyFile_WriteString("\n", outf) != 0)
         return NULL;
     if (PyObject_SetAttrString(builtins, "_", o) != 0)