diff -Naur spack-src/configure spack-src.patched/configure 
--- spack-src/configure	2020-03-10 13:55:53.000000000 -0400
+++ spack-src.patched/configure	2021-05-06 11:33:59.062284048 -0400
@@ -19263,10 +19263,11 @@
 
 
         # Check for Python library path
+        PYTHON_MAJOR=`echo $PYTHON_VERSION | sed "s,\..*$,,"`
         { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for Python library path" >&5
 $as_echo_n "checking for Python library path... " >&6; }
         for i in "$base_python_path/lib/python$PYTHON_VERSION/config/" "$base_python_path/lib/python$PYTHON_VERSION/" "$base_python_path/lib/python/config/" "$base_python_path/lib/python/" "$base_python_path/" "$base_python_path/libs/" ; do
-                python_path=`find $i -name libpython$PYTHON_VERSION.* -print 2> /dev/null | sed "1q"`
+                python_path=`find $i -name libpython$PYTHON_MAJOR.* -print 2> /dev/null | sed "1q"`
                 if test -n "$python_path" ; then
                         break
                 fi
@@ -19277,7 +19278,7 @@
         if test -z "$python_path" ; then
                 as_fn_error $? "cannot find Python library path" "$LINENO" 5
         fi
-        PYTHON_LDFLAGS="-L$python_path -lpython$PYTHON_VERSION"
+        PYTHON_LDFLAGS="-L$python_path -lpython$PYTHON_MAJOR"
 
         #
         python_site=`echo $base_python_path | sed "s/config/site-packages/"`
@@ -19290,7 +19291,7 @@
 $as_echo_n "checking python extra libraries... " >&6; }
         PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS=`$PYTHON -c "import distutils.sysconfig; \
                 conf = distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var; \
-                print (conf('LOCALMODLIBS') or '')+' '+(conf('LIBS') or '')"
+		print((conf('LOCALMODLIBS') or '')+' '+(conf('LIBS') or ''))"
         { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS" >&5
 $as_echo "$PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS" >&6; }`
 
diff -Naur spack-src/macros/ac_python_devel.m4 spack-src.patched/macros/ac_python_devel.m4
--- spack-src/macros/ac_python_devel.m4	2017-09-06 09:48:30.000000000 -0400
+++ spack-src.patched/macros/ac_python_devel.m4	2021-05-06 11:32:59.545478100 -0400
@@ -43,9 +43,10 @@
         AC_SUBST([PYTHON_CPPFLAGS],[-I$python_path])
 
         # Check for Python library path
+        PYTHON_MAJOR=`echo $PYTHON_VERSION | sed "s,\..*$,,"`
         AC_MSG_CHECKING([for Python library path])
         for i in "$base_python_path/lib/python$PYTHON_VERSION/config/" "$base_python_path/lib/python$PYTHON_VERSION/" "$base_python_path/lib/python/config/" "$base_python_path/lib/python/" "$base_python_path/" "$base_python_path/libs/" ; do
-                python_path=`find $i -name libpython$PYTHON_VERSION.* -print 2> /dev/null | sed "1q"`
+                python_path=`find $i -name libpython$PYTHON_MAJOR.* -print 2> /dev/null | sed "1q"`
                 if test -n "$python_path" ; then
                         break
                 fi
@@ -55,7 +56,7 @@
         if test -z "$python_path" ; then
                 AC_MSG_ERROR([cannot find Python library path])
         fi
-        AC_SUBST([PYTHON_LDFLAGS],["-L$python_path -lpython$PYTHON_VERSION"])
+        AC_SUBST([PYTHON_LDFLAGS],["-L$python_path -lpython$PYTHON_MAJOR"])
         #
         python_site=`echo $base_python_path | sed "s/config/site-packages/"`
         AC_SUBST([PYTHON_SITE_PKG],[$python_site])
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@
         AC_MSG_CHECKING(python extra libraries)
         PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS=`$PYTHON -c "import distutils.sysconfig; \
                 conf = distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var; \
-                print (conf('LOCALMODLIBS') or '')+' '+(conf('LIBS') or '')"
+                print((conf('LOCALMODLIBS') or '')+' '+(conf('LIBS') or ''))"
         AC_MSG_RESULT($PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS)`
         AC_SUBST(PYTHON_EXTRA_LIBS)
 ])