diff --git a/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py b/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py
index 99aba58..e17d2d8 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py
@@ -13,31 +13,20 @@ MySQLdb.converters module.
 
 """
 
-__author__ = "Andy Dustman <andy@dustman.net>"
 __revision__ = """$Revision$"""[11:-2]
-version_info = (
-    1,
-    2,
-    1,
-    "gamma",
-    3)
-if version_info[3] == "final": __version__ = "%d.%d.%d" % version_info[:3]
-else: __version__ = "%d.%d.%d%1.1s%d" % version_info[:5]
+from release import __version__, version_info, __author__
 
 import _mysql
 
-v = getattr(_mysql, 'version_info', None)
-if version_info != v:
-    raise ImportError, "this is MySQLdb version %s, but _mysql is version %s" %\
-          (version_info, v)
-del v
+if version_info != _mysql.version_info:
+    raise ImportError, "this is MySQLdb version %s, but _mysql is version %r" %\
+          (version_info, _mysql.version_info)
 
 threadsafety = 1
 apilevel = "2.0"
 paramstyle = "format"
 
 from _mysql import *
-#from MySQLdb.sets import DBAPISet, Set
 from MySQLdb.constants import FIELD_TYPE
 from MySQLdb.times import Date, Time, Timestamp, \
     DateFromTicks, TimeFromTicks, TimestampFromTicks
diff --git a/MySQLdb/_mysql.c b/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
index 822aed8..97e0dc5 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
+++ b/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#define version_info "(1,2,1,'gamma',3)"
-#define __version__ "1.2.1c3"
 /*
 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
diff --git a/MySQLdb/metadata.cfg b/MySQLdb/metadata.cfg
index ae03548..a6c3137 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/metadata.cfg
+++ b/MySQLdb/metadata.cfg
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 [metadata]
 version: 1.2.1c4
+version_info: (1,2,1,'gamma',4)
 description: Python interface to MySQL
 long_description: 
         =========================
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ py_modules:
         MySQLdb.converters
         MySQLdb.connections
         MySQLdb.cursors
+        MySQLdb.release
         MySQLdb.times
         MySQLdb.constants.CR
         MySQLdb.constants.FIELD_TYPE
diff --git a/MySQLdb/setup.py b/MySQLdb/setup.py
index 0687ae0..4d881d8 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/setup.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/setup.py
@@ -70,6 +70,17 @@ if static:
     extra_objects.append(os.path.join(
         library_dirs[0],'lib%s.a' % client))
 
+extra_compile_args.append("-Dversion_info=\"%s\"" % metadata['version_info'])
+extra_compile_args.append("-D__version__=\"%s\"" % metadata['version'])
+
+rel = open("MySQLdb/release.py",'w')
+rel.write("""
+__author__ = "%(author)s <%(author_email)s>"
+version_info = %(version_info)s
+__version__ = "%(version)s"
+""" % metadata)
+rel.close()
+
 ext_mysql_metadata = dict(
     name="_mysql",
     include_dirs=include_dirs,