diff --git a/sparkle.cabal b/sparkle.cabal
--- a/sparkle.cabal
+++ b/sparkle.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                sparkle
-version:             0.7.2
+version:             0.7.2.1
 synopsis:            Distributed Apache Spark applications in Haskell
 description:         See https://www.stackage.org/package/sparkle.
 homepage:            http://github.com/tweag/sparkle#readme
@@ -13,17 +13,18 @@
 cabal-version:       >=1.10
 extra-source-files:
   cbits/io_tweag_sparkle_Sparkle.h
-  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/Sparkle.java
+  src/main/java/Helper.java
   src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/SparkMain.java
-  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/kryo/InlineJavaRegistrator.java
-  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellVoidFunction.java
-  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFunction4.java
+  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/Sparkle.java
+  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/SparkleBase.java
+  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFlatMapFunction.java
+  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFunction.java
   src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFunction0.java
   src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFunction2.java
-  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFlatMapFunction.java
   src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFunction3.java
-  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFunction.java
-  src/main/java/Helper.java
+  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellFunction4.java
+  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/function/HaskellVoidFunction.java
+  src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/kryo/InlineJavaRegistrator.java
   CHANGELOG.md
   README.md
   build.gradle
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/SparkleBase.java b/src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/SparkleBase.java
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/io/tweag/sparkle/SparkleBase.java
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package io.tweag.sparkle;
+
+import java.io.*;
+import java.net.*;
+import java.nio.file.*;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Enumeration;
+import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.zip.*;
+
+/* The `SparkleBase` class exists to ensure that appropriate shared objects
+ * (those in the 'sparkle-app.zip' archive within the JAR in which this class
+ * resides) are dynamically loaded *before* attempting to access any
+ * functionality provided by them. The Haskell program (named 'hsapp') is
+ * also loaded.
+ */
+public class SparkleBase {
+    static {
+        try {
+            InputStream in =
+                Sparkle.class.getResourceAsStream("/sparkle-app.zip");
+            File sparkleAppZipFile =
+                File.createTempFile("sparkle-app-", ".zip");
+            Files.copy(in, sparkleAppZipFile.toPath(),
+                StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING);
+            in.close();
+            try {
+              loadApplication(sparkleAppZipFile, "hsapp");
+            } finally {
+              sparkleAppZipFile.delete();
+            }
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            System.err.println(e);
+            throw new ExceptionInInitializerError(e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void loadApplication(File archive, String appName)
+        throws IOException
+    {
+        // Extract all files from the .zip archive.
+        //
+        ZipFile zip = new ZipFile(archive);
+        String tmpDir = System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir");
+        Path sparkleAppTmpDir =
+            Files.createTempDirectory(Paths.get(tmpDir), "sparkle-app-");
+        ArrayList<Path> pathsList = new ArrayList();
+        try {
+          for (Enumeration e = zip.entries(); e.hasMoreElements(); ) {
+            ZipEntry entry = (ZipEntry)e.nextElement();
+            InputStream in = zip.getInputStream(entry);
+            Path path = sparkleAppTmpDir.resolve(entry.getName());
+            pathsList.add(path);
+            Files.copy(in, path);
+            in.close();
+          }
+          zip.close();
+
+          // Dynamically load the app.
+          //
+          System.load(sparkleAppTmpDir.resolve(appName).toString());
+        } finally {
+          // Delete the app binary and its libraries, now that they are loaded.
+          //
+          for (Path p : pathsList)
+            p.toFile().delete();
+        }
+        sparkleAppTmpDir.toFile().delete();
+    }
+
+    public static native <R> R apply(byte[] cos, Object... args);
+}