diff --git a/offlineimap/imapserver.py b/offlineimap/imapserver.py
index b356690..27e4efa 100644
--- a/offlineimap/imapserver.py
+++ b/offlineimap/imapserver.py
@@ -599,7 +599,7 @@ class IMAPServer(object):
                 imapobj.capabilities = tuple(dat[-1].upper().split())
 
             if self.delim == None:
-                listres = imapobj.list(self.reference, '""')[1]
+                listres = imapobj.list(self.reference, '')[1]
                 if listres == [None] or listres == None:
                     # Some buggy IMAP servers do not respond well to LIST "" ""
                     # Work around them.
diff --git a/offlineimap/imaputil.py b/offlineimap/imaputil.py
index 33517e5..51fff48 100644
--- a/offlineimap/imaputil.py
+++ b/offlineimap/imaputil.py
@@ -104,42 +104,7 @@ def imapsplit(imapstring):
     ['(\\HasNoChildren)', '"."', '"INBOX.Sent"']"""
 
     if not isinstance(imapstring, str):
-        __debug("imapsplit() got a non-string input; working around.")
-        # Sometimes, imaplib will throw us a tuple if the input
-        # contains a literal.  See Python bug
-        # #619732 at https://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=619732&group_id=5470&atid=105470
-        # One example is:
-        # result[0] = '() "\\\\" Admin'
-        # result[1] = ('() "\\\\" {19}', 'Folder\\2')
-        #
-        # This function will effectively get result[0] or result[1], so
-        # if we get the result[1] version, we need to parse apart the tuple
-        # and figure out what to do with it.  Each even-numbered
-        # part of it should end with the {} number, and each odd-numbered
-        # part should be directly a part of the result.  We'll
-        # artificially quote it to help out.
-        retval = []
-        for i in range(len(imapstring)):
-            if i % 2:                   # Odd: quote then append.
-                arg = imapstring[i]
-                # Quote code lifted from imaplib
-                arg = arg.replace('\\', '\\\\')
-                arg = arg.replace('"', '\\"')
-                arg = '"%s"' % arg
-                __debug("imapsplit() non-string [%d]: Appending %s"% (i, arg))
-                retval.append(arg)
-            else:
-                # Even -- we have a string that ends with a literal
-                # size specifier.  We need to strip off that, then run
-                # what remains through the regular imapsplit parser.
-                # Recursion to the rescue.
-                arg = imapstring[i]
-                arg = re.sub('\{\d+\}$', '', arg)
-                __debug("imapsplit() non-string [%d]: Feeding %s to recursion"%\
-                    (i, arg))
-                retval.extend(imapsplit(arg))
-        __debug("imapsplit() non-string: returning %s" % str(retval))
-        return retval
+        imapstring = imapstring.decode('utf-8')
 
     workstr = imapstring.strip()
     retval = []