diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index f4f9d25c..5d022f75 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@
 	with warnings enabled by default, to help prevent issues from
 	silently creeping in.  Patch by Mike Frysinger.
 	* src/{nano,move,winio}.c - Fix a few compiler warnings.
+	* configure.ac - Newer ncurses installs include pkg-config files
+	which tell us the right -I/-L paths we need, so default to that
+	before trying the legacy ways.  Patch by Mike Frysinger.
 
 2014-03-23  Benno Schulenberg  <bensberg@justemail.net>
 	* src/rcfile.c (parse_keybinding, parse_unbinding) - Improve a
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 85820b1e..5f2c63e0 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ AC_PROG_CC
 AC_PROG_LN_S
 AC_ISC_POSIX
 AC_SYS_LARGEFILE
+PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG
 
 dnl Internationalization macros.
 
@@ -440,6 +441,23 @@ AC_FUNC_VPRINTF
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS(getopt_long)
 dnl Checks for libraries.
 
+if eval "test x$CURSES_LIB_NAME = x"; then
+    if test x$enable_utf8 != xno; then
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([NCURSESW], [ncursesw], [
+	    CURSES_LIB=$NCURSESW_LIBS
+	    CPPFLAGS="$NCURSESW_CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS"
+	    CURSES_LIB_NAME=ncursesw
+	    CURSES_LIB_WIDE=yes
+	], [:])
+    else
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([NCURSES], [ncurses], [
+	    CURSES_LIB=$NCURSES_LIBS
+	    CPPFLAGS="$NCURSES_CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS"
+	    CURSES_LIB_NAME=ncurses
+	], [:])
+    fi
+fi
+
 if eval "test x$CURSES_LIB_NAME = x"; then
     AC_CHECK_HEADERS(ncurses.h)