diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index 1e2b8ffd0..f7351539a 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `event_base_get_method' function. */
 #undef HAVE_EVENT_BASE_GET_METHOD
 
+/* Define to 1 if you have the `event_base_new' function. */
+#undef HAVE_EVENT_BASE_NEW
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `event_base_once' function. */
 #undef HAVE_EVENT_BASE_ONCE
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 170b070f7..408c09cd8 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -23343,7 +23343,101 @@ _ACEOF
 
 fi
 done
- # only in libevent 1.4? and later
+ # only in libevent 1.4.1 and later
+
+for ac_func in event_base_new
+do
+as_ac_var=`echo "ac_cv_func_$ac_func" | $as_tr_sh`
+{ echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for $ac_func" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for $ac_func... $ECHO_C" >&6; }
+if { as_var=$as_ac_var; eval "test \"\${$as_var+set}\" = set"; }; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+else
+  cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+/* confdefs.h.  */
+_ACEOF
+cat confdefs.h >>conftest.$ac_ext
+cat >>conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+/* Define $ac_func to an innocuous variant, in case <limits.h> declares $ac_func.
+   For example, HP-UX 11i <limits.h> declares gettimeofday.  */
+#define $ac_func innocuous_$ac_func
+
+/* System header to define __stub macros and hopefully few prototypes,
+    which can conflict with char $ac_func (); below.
+    Prefer <limits.h> to <assert.h> if __STDC__ is defined, since
+    <limits.h> exists even on freestanding compilers.  */
+
+#ifdef __STDC__
+# include <limits.h>
+#else
+# include <assert.h>
+#endif
+
+#undef $ac_func
+
+/* Override any GCC internal prototype to avoid an error.
+   Use char because int might match the return type of a GCC
+   builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply.  */
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C"
+#endif
+char $ac_func ();
+/* The GNU C library defines this for functions which it implements
+    to always fail with ENOSYS.  Some functions are actually named
+    something starting with __ and the normal name is an alias.  */
+#if defined __stub_$ac_func || defined __stub___$ac_func
+choke me
+#endif
+
+int
+main ()
+{
+return $ac_func ();
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext
+if { (ac_try="$ac_link"
+case "(($ac_try" in
+  *\"* | *\`* | *\\*) ac_try_echo=\$ac_try;;
+  *) ac_try_echo=$ac_try;;
+esac
+eval "echo \"\$as_me:$LINENO: $ac_try_echo\"") >&5
+  (eval "$ac_link") 2>conftest.er1
+  ac_status=$?
+  grep -v '^ *+' conftest.er1 >conftest.err
+  rm -f conftest.er1
+  cat conftest.err >&5
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); } && {
+	 test -z "$ac_c_werror_flag" ||
+	 test ! -s conftest.err
+       } && test -s conftest$ac_exeext &&
+       $as_test_x conftest$ac_exeext; then
+  eval "$as_ac_var=yes"
+else
+  echo "$as_me: failed program was:" >&5
+sed 's/^/| /' conftest.$ac_ext >&5
+
+	eval "$as_ac_var=no"
+fi
+
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest_ipa8_conftest.oo \
+      conftest$ac_exeext conftest.$ac_ext
+fi
+ac_res=`eval echo '${'$as_ac_var'}'`
+	       { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $ac_res" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$ac_res" >&6; }
+if test `eval echo '${'$as_ac_var'}'` = yes; then
+  cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
+#define `echo "HAVE_$ac_func" | $as_tr_cpp` 1
+_ACEOF
+
+fi
+done
+ # only in libevent 1.4.1 and later
 
 for ac_func in event_base_get_method
 do
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 7c651a671..61cdaceb6 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -742,7 +742,8 @@ large outgoing port ranges.  ])
 	AC_SEARCH_LIBS(event_set, [event])
 	AC_CHECK_HEADERS([event.h],,, [AC_INCLUDES_DEFAULT])
 	AC_CHECK_FUNCS([event_base_free]) # only in libevent 1.2 and later
-	AC_CHECK_FUNCS([event_base_once]) # only in libevent 1.4? and later
+	AC_CHECK_FUNCS([event_base_once]) # only in libevent 1.4.1 and later
+	AC_CHECK_FUNCS([event_base_new]) # only in libevent 1.4.1 and later
 	AC_CHECK_FUNCS([event_base_get_method]) # only in libevent 1.4.3 and later
 	AC_CHECK_FUNCS([ev_loop]) # only in libev. (tested on 3.51)
 	if test -n "$BAK_LDFLAGS"; then
diff --git a/doc/Changelog b/doc/Changelog
index 9748dd9a3..0eff8cd1b 100644
--- a/doc/Changelog
+++ b/doc/Changelog
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 	- test fix, lexer and cancel test.
 	- new option log-time-ascii: yes  if you enable it prints timestamps
 	  in the log file as Feb 06 13:45:26 (like syslog does).
+	- detect event_base_new in libevent-1.4.1 and later and use it.
 
 5 February 2009: Wouter
 	- ldns 1.5.0 rc as tarball included.
diff --git a/util/netevent.c b/util/netevent.c
index ad6482b44..6847e2270 100644
--- a/util/netevent.c
+++ b/util/netevent.c
@@ -160,7 +160,11 @@ comm_base_create(int sigs)
 		b->eb->base=(struct event_base *)ev_loop_new(EVFLAG_AUTO);
 #  else
 	(void)sigs;
+#    ifdef HAVE_EVENT_BASE_NEW
+	b->eb->base = event_base_new();
+#    else
 	b->eb->base = event_init();
+#    endif
 #  endif
 #endif
 	if(!b->eb->base) {